To Storm or Fire
by nevvt
Summary: [Genderbent Elsa-Elliott, Anna-Anders, Kristoff-Krista, Hans-Helena.] The eternal winter was stopped, but the storm is far from over. King Elliott must fix his broken kingdom, revive his friendship with his brother Andy- AND deal with the Southern Isles. Sequel to A Brother More Like Me.
1. Princess Guide

**To avoid confusion, I've made this chart with all 13 princess' of the Southern Isles, it's **_**way**_** less detailed than the one I use to write. This is a **_**really **_**basic chart and not exactly well made, but i think it serves its purpose, it's the first chapter so it can be used for reference if i'm ever not clear enough or if ya'll forget.**

1st Astrid- Queen of the Southern Isles.

2nd Maddy- Facial scar, Astrid's right-hand

3rd Cecile- Mentally ill. Can't walk.

4th Emilia -(with twin) They married twin boys + kinda share a brain.

5th Olivia -(with twin) They married twin boys + kinda share a brain.

6th Daria- (bastard) Left because she felt unwanted.

7th Sophia- Actress, had eating disorder.

8th Katherine- Kinda manly. Swordfight stuff. Kind to Helena.

9th Rowena- Mean fuckin bitch. Master at potion-making.

10thCristina- (with twin) Sonja's twin, a bitch, admiral on the Southern Isles navy.

11th Sonja- (with twin) Nice enough, she's the prettiest but very shallow.

12th Johanna- (bastard) Super smart, bookish, closest to Helena in age and relationship.

13nd- Helena- Tried to kill Andy + Elliott to escape her life at the Southern Isles.

Lucille Westergard- cousin/ traitorous crow (mentioned in ABMLM)

**I know stuff like "bitch" doesn't tell you much about the character, but obviously there's a **_**lot **_**more to them than that, that's just like the first word that comes to mind.**

**Cover art by the amazing juliajm15 who has done a bunch of amazing genderbend Frozen fanart!**


	2. Chapter 1

● Andy ●

The second night in a row, Andy dreamed the same dream.

_There is ice in your heart, and your brother put it there_, the old troll had said. From there it was a series of little pieces of memories flashing one after the other, in very quick succession. A frozen fjord, a fire crystal pulsing with life, racing against all odds to reach the castle, two heavy gates opening... and then it would stop. It would come to a halt in the worst part.

The study.

Dark as ever, and even colder, the only source of light _and _warmth being the fireplace. But then that light was put out-

_She _would be there, perfectly poised, a lazy smile on her lips. But her features weren't soft and pretty, they looked jagged, and she looked like she was made of glass. Her smile would stretch wide, _so wide_, and it would reveal pointy teeth that looked like they belonged to a shark. And then she would pounce at _his face_-

The dream ended. It always ended there.

It was probably a good thing, that it ended there, and that the nightmare was _muted_, because if he had to hear those words- hear _her _say-

"_If only there was someone out there who loved you_."

Andy woke with a sharp intake of breath, running his hands through his hair like it was on fire, then his cheeks, his throat- orienting, feeling for warmth. Thawed. Human. But the memories were too fresh, barely days since the ice had clawed into his lungs, blinded his eyes, froze blood and bone. He tried to steady his breathing as he looked around, taking in the scene-

He was on the floor, surrounded by blankets and pillows. Why in the world was he-

"Andy?"

"_Gods-!_" Andy jerked back and blinked harder, trying to get his eyes to adjust. He pulled the fur lined blanket up to his chin, hiding his non-existent breasts.

Bright blue eyes peered at him through the darkness. The only light came from the moon outside, which made his brother's hair look white. He was laying a few feet away, he'd propped himself up on his elbow, his other arm was hugging a pillow. And then Andy remembered- they'd built a pillow fort, because Andy was just childish like that. He demanded they make up for all the lost time as soon as possible- building a pillow fort and sleeping in it had been very high on his list of Things Elliot And I Will Do At All Costs.

Being the king and all Elliott had been a little reluctant, but at Andy's insistence, they'd done it. They had asked Kai to find every blanket- wool, fur, anything would do. And every pillow- from simple stuffing to goose feathers, they had it. His older brother would never admit it, but he'd had plenty of fun. They both had.

"Are you okay?"

"I- um, I'm fine," Andy lied. Elliott had _plenty _to worry about after the Great Thaw, he did not need to stress over Andy's nightmares too. He lay back down and shivered at the nonexistent cold in the room, "I kinda forgot you were there." He grabbed a pillow and put it over his face, not wanting to see Elliott's piercing stare anymore.

"Are you cold?"

"No," he lied again, his voice muffled from the pillow, "It's just a little drafty in here, is all."

"It's not," he could still feel Elliott's gaze on him, "Then again, it's not like I would know," his brother laughed uneasily. Oh, yeah, the whole _immunity to the cold_ thing. For the past few days, his brother had been mixing his regular clothes with ice ones he made for himself. He always seemed a little more confident in the ice outfits. After a pause, he heard Elliott shift in his spot, "You were having a nightmare."

He wasn't asking it, he was stating it. Andy didn't bother to lie again. "It's nothing."

Elliott sighed and crawled towards him. He pulled the pillow away from his face and tossed it behind him. "If- if it's _her _you're worried about, you don't have to- she's locked up. They should come for her any day now, and she'll be out of our lives forever."

"_When_?" Andy didn't mean to make it sound so demanding, but that's how it came out. He could not wait for her to leave, to stop haunting him, to get over- over _everything-_

"_Soon_. Trust me, I don't want her here either," Elliott cast him one last, determined look before he shuffled back to his own nest of blankets. "We'll see about her trial..." Elliott snuggled back on his covers, "If it goes sour, Helena Westergard could be executed." He didn't sound happy, or sad, or shocked- just neutral, factual. A bell rang inside Andy's head.

"_Executed_! Elliott- she's... she's..." Andy sat up with a start, his wide eyes locked on his brother's back, "She's a sociopath, no doubt, but- I mean..."

Nobody deserved that. It was- _no_, it just couldn't be allowed. He'd rather have her living a thousand leagues away than dead right there. Besides, he'd turned it over a thousand times inside his mind- he didn't think Helena to be truly and purely _evil_, there was more to her than that, a part of her he could not understand, but pondering about it now made his head hurt so he left it alone.

His brother sat up again, meeting Andy's panicked face, "I do not wish to see her dead, if that's what you're- _gods_, I don't want_ that_." Elliott rubbed at the gathering stubble on his jaw, "But it's not up to me. I don't know how the Southern Isles justice system works, if they'll let Arendelle carry the trial- _I don't know_... Her sister is the queen- Astrid, is it?"

"Astrid," Andy confirmed, remembering with how much resentment Helena had spoken about her oldest sibling a million years ago when they'd walked all around the palace arm-in-arm. Had that really happened? It felt like a dream. Like it had happened to someone else. Back when he'd thought the princess was an open door to love and _he'd been so foolish-_

"There you go. I don't think Astrid would allow her youngest sister to... you know, _die_," Elliott said, but he didn't sound as confident as he probably wanted to. "We'll... we'll see, I guess. It's not like-"

Aggressive pounding on the door made him stop mid sentence.

"_STOP THE GOSSIP YOU TWO, IT'S THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT_."

Anyone else would have paid dearly for yelling at the king and prince of Arendelle that way, but General Winter wasn't anyone else. He was like an adorable and deadly grandfather who could make you smile with snowballs or murder you with his bare hands. Andy wasn't sure if the magical snowman needed sleep, but it was well-known that their snowy friend hated any sort of _talking_.

Andy stifled a boyish giggle that threatened to escape, "Okay, gramps, good night!"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?"

Elliott laughed as he lay back down, and Andy did the same. _Get in trouble with the authority_, check, he thought, from his Things Elliot And I Will Do At All Costs list. General Winter was the closest thing to authority the king would get scolded by, so he might as well make that one count and get on with the list.

"It'll be okay. We'll be okay," he heard Elliott yawn from the other side. His brother liked to sleep curled up, like a cat, while Andy enjoyed occupying as much space as possible, his limbs everywhere. "Good night."

"Night."

He dreamed of a rose garden made of ice.

● Krista ●

"Run this by me again- you said _no_?"

"Yes."

Bulda groaned and smacked the blonde girl's leg, which was a _little very _painful, since the hands were broad and they were _stone_.

"Krista Bjorgman! I did _not _raise you to be this way!" the troll huffed angrily. Krista turned away from her, but there really was nowhere to run, her little hut only had so much space, and most of it was occupied by Suri's big reindeer self. Bulda rolled in front of her quick as a ninja, blocking her path.

"Raise me _what _way, Ma?" Krista tried to sidestep her, but her mother clung to her leg like a koala, her grip was like iron. This was not the first time this had happened.

Bulda looked up at her with her big black eyes, her gray face bordering on desperation. "To decline the invitations of handsome princes to stay over and build pillow forts, Kri-Kri! You should have said _yes_."

She could feel the tip of her ears get warm with embarrassment at the mention of Andy. _Of course _she'd wanted to say _yes_, but the pillow-fort thing was an activity meant for Andy and _Elliott_, and gods know they needed that brotherly experience. She didn't feel entirely comfortable joining in on that special time. She was still getting used to Andy, even Elliott. They hadn't known each other for very long, even if it felt like it. So excuse her for not attending the sleepover.

"I'll go next time, Ma," she said, partly because she hoped she _would_, partly to get Bulda _out _so she could get some much needed sleep. The past couple of days had been beyond anything she'd ever imagined, and since the Great Thaw as it was known around the village, she'd spent most of her time with Prince Andy, they went with Suri to test out the new sled driving like maniacs. But the Prince had to split his time between her and Elliott- from what Andy had told her, his brother was a little stressed by the consequences of the eternal winter. Damages had to be paid and relationships with other kingdoms had to be rekindled.

And thinking about that made Krista think of _her_. Helena of the Southern Isles. There had been no word from her relatives, as far as she knew. Elliott had sent a message, but gods know if it got through. The most damaged ship had belonged to the princess, so she was stranded here. No other kingdom exactly volunteered to take her back.

Andy had told her bits and pieces about what _happened_, but every time he got to the part of the study, he got really quiet and fidgety and she'd just drop it. No need to make him relieve it all again, whatever that wicked girl had done that definitely was _not _a true love's kiss.. Besides the Andy-Thing, she'd seen the princess with her own eyes- with sword in hand, ready to kill King Elliott. And then Andy had stepped in, and...

The pressure was released from her leg as Bulda let go, her face softening- if stone could soften, that is... "I just- I just don't want you to push him away. He cares for you, and you care for him, and-"

"I won't do that! Why would you say that?"

"You have a tendency to- ah, push people away. You don't let anyone get close." Bulda put in as delicately as she could. It didn't matter how she put it, really, Krista knew it was true. If you don't let anyone get close, then they can't hurt you. That's why her best friend was a reindeer.

_Reindeers are better than people_.

Krista smiled as she remembered the little motto she'd made up when Olga had rudely thrown her out of her shop. _People will beat you and curse you and cheat you_. She sat down and leaned on the sleeping Suri, this not being the first time her buddy was used as a pillow. "Don't worry, Ma. I like Andy, he's... um, I like him. I'm not pushing him away anytime soon." She smiled at the skeptical troll who was eyeing her with a funny look.

"Fine, fine. But remember- _what _do we say if handsome princes ask us over?"

Krista resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "We say yes with no hesitation whatsoever."

Bulda pinched her cheek with her thick fingers, "That's my girl!"

This time she did roll her eyes. but with a big smile on her face. She snuggled Suri's soft brown fur as Bulda blew out the candle and left Krista's little hut-home, right there in the Valley of the Living Rock.

She dreamed of celery green eyes.

● Elliott ●

Elliott waited until Andy's breathing steadied somehow. Half of him wanted to stay and be there if Andy had another nightmare, but half of him needed to leave. Gods knew he had demons of his own. He slipped out from the covers, not that he used many; the cold didn't bother him.

Andy, on the other hand, was under a heap of them. Even if his brother had insisted he wasn't cold, Elliott knew better. Being frozen alive and brought back ought to leave a little something behind. Would his little brother feel cold for the rest of his days? He hoped _not_, he really hoped not. Other people would have cringed if their bare feet touched the cold wood floor, but Elliott barely felt it. He tiptoed away, grabbing a bathrobe on his way out.

General Winter wasn't patrolling the hall anymore, which was good. Elliott didn't feel like explaining _what _he was doing, because even he was still questioning _why_ he'd left the comfortable pillow fort he and his brother had made. Andy had come in with the idea at a perfect time, when Elliott was meant to be writing apology letters to _ever single _guest for the _inconvenience _that happened during his coronation. He didn't mind the interruption, in fact, it was great. Great that Andy wanted to spend time with him and didn't hate him for _almost killing him_-

_Stop. _He sighed, tried to remember the words Andy had said as they were placing blankets and pillows around, on one of those rare times they talked about everything that had happened. _Not your fault_.

If he said it enough, maybe he'd start to believe it. Sneaking out like this in the middle of the night reminded him of the last time he'd done it with Andy, thirteen years ago when the ballroom fiasco had gone down. He still hadn't talked to Andy about _that_... he wondered if Andy already knew, since he'd apparently been to see the trolls. Pabbie might have restored his memories then? Elliott didn't know, and he was too afraid to ask. All his brother had told him was that they'd gone to see the trolls because Krista sort of lived with them, and the leader troll had told him about the ice in his heart and _not your fault, not your fault_.

He sped up the pace when he passed the picture of his parents, the massive oil painting that hung from the wall and judged him as he went by. For now he couldn't stand it if they looked at him, he had mixed feelings about them and- and _hating _them was something he didn't want. So avoiding was the better option for now.

The place where he wanted- well, _needed_ to be was at the other side of the castle. As far away from everything and everyone as possible. It had to be done _now_, before he lost his nerve. If he didn't do this, he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, the issue would keep him awake all night.

Just like he'd ordered, there was a guard standing outside _her_ door, someone was always there, day or night. The man was slumped a little against the wall, half asleep and probably bored out of his mind. Elliott cleared his throat softly, and the man jolted completely awake.

"Your Grace!" he said a little loudly. The sound echoed, and Elliott brought a finger up to his lips. _Sh_. "Your Grace?" the man said more quietly, seemingly embarrassed.

"I need to go in for a moment," Elliott said, nodding at the door behind him, an indirect _step aside_.

The man shifted his feet uncomfortably, his brows furrowing, "You said no one was allowed in after she-"

"I know, I know what I said," _after she stabbed the messenger with a fork_, but he was the _king_, obviously _he _was allowed in. "But this is really important."

The man hesitated for one more second before unlocking the door and stepping aside, he still looked wary. Elliott lay a hand on his shoulder, "Speak of this to no one, please," his voice was cold, measured, the way his father had taught him to make silent threats. He knew how quick word traveled in the palace, and _this _was the last thing he wanted to be noted. He was going to hire new staff, too, now that his secret was out. The man nodded his agreement, and he gulped audibly.

Inside it was warm, the coals of a fire that had been burning on the fireplace were still hot, still glowing a little. It would look like any other guest room in the palace if it wasn't for the barred windows, the doors that locked from the outside, the lack of any sharp objects- including mirrors. The only light came from that faded fire and the filtered moonlight from between the bars on the windows. He'd half expected to find the princess awake- but she was not a vampire, apparently. She was in the simple bed against the wall, tangled up in the sheets with auburn hair splayed out on the pillow.

He hesitated for the first time since coming all this way, not sure how to make his presence known. The last thing he wanted to do was touch her, and he didn't want to make too much noise and _ugh_. Maybe he should throw something.

For a split second the evil thought of throwing a snowball crossed his mind, but he shook it out. He was not _that _mean. He froze when the girl turned over, but luckily she was still fast asleep. For the past few days, whenever he thought of Helena the image that would pop up in his brain was her sneering face and eyes ablaze, looking almost primal. _Not_ an innocent-looking girl with a dusting of freckles across her nose, with her mouth slightly open.

"_Helena_," he hissed, because out loud he couldn't exactly address her as _Her_. She frowned in her sleep, but did not move. Elliott approached the bed but still left a respectable distance between them. "_Helena_."

He could practically _feel _his courage faltering, his nerve leaving him. What was he doing here, this was a stupid mistake-

The Princess made a sound between a curse and a moan before she rolled over, turning her back on him. Elliott felt a spark of impatience. _No_, he'd come all this way, he would not be leaving without the answers that may or may not give him peace of mind. He needed to hear it from her, or else sleep would be inconceivable. An evil smirk pulled at his lips as he summoned the ice to his bare, gloveless hand. He remembered when he was fourteen and so terrified of his powers he'd slept with gloves on more than once. Not anymore.

The small of her back was exposed since she rolled over, the perfect target. "Helena," he gave her one last chance. The Princess was still unresponsive. _Too bad_, Elliott let the ice swirl away towards the exposed skin-

"_GODS_!" she yelped, and jumped a few inches off the mattress. _That ought to wake you_, Elliott thought smugly. That marked the second time that night he'd startled someone and they'd blurted out those words. She twisted her body around, glaring first at her back, and then up at-

Her eyes locked on his.

Surprise, confusion and a little anger clouded her eyes before they settled for what could only be described as cockiness. For the first time he noticed- one of her eyes was black. The bruise was ugly, mostly purple and green, a little yellow at the edges. He was about to ask when he remembered the why- the man she'd stabbed with a fork after delivering the news that her sisters would be coming had punched her as he'd tried to get away. His pity dissolved as fast as it had appeared.

A lazy smirk spread across her lips as she regarded him. "King Elliott," she drawled, and she sat cross-legged on the bed. "To _what_ do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

He considered messing with her, telling her that her sisters had arrived a little earlier- to see how she'd react this time. But he didn't. He also didn't want her getting the better of him, with this casual attitude around him, almost insolent. "I need to talk to you," he said evenly.

● Helena ●

"Come here to gloat?" she kept her smile in place, but inside she was _seething_. She was mad at _them_ of course, but mostly, at herself. Oh, how everything had fallen apart so quickly. All it took was Andy not dying like he was supposed to, running out into the gods damned storm and _jumping in front of her sword_-

_Thinking _about it made her mad, it made her crazy mad. It made her blood boil. _And _as if that hadn't been absolutely terrible enough, _her _ship was one of the few too damaged to sail. She was stuck in this place full of people that hated her- not much different from home, but this was a different kind of hate. She'd actually kind of done something to deserve this. _Gods _know who would come to pick up poor little Helena with her tail between her legs. She hoped with every fiber of her being that it would not be Cristina or Rowena, they would have her put to death on the _spot_.

If Katherine came, that would be perfect. She would save her sorry ass, like she'd done many times in the past. She could always count on Katherine, the sister that taught her how to sword fight and that would most likely never turn her back on Helena. Even dumb Sonja would be a blessing, just as long as it was not her twin or Rowena she'd be fine. If _Astrid _herself came, though- she didn't know how to feel about the Queen of the Southern Isles.

The corner of the king's mouth twitched, but his expression remained neutral. "No, I didn't come here to gloat. I need to ask you something." Her skin still tingled from where his ice had hit her. It was _magic _ice, of course, so there was no trace of it, all that remained was the cold feeling and a few sparkle-like things on her back. She hated his power over ice very much.

Helena was a little afraid, but she refused to let it show. He'd seen enough of her weakness, when she'd stabbed that stupid man with the fork she ended up crying, both from frustration and fear and because _he dared hit her_ but mostly because gods dammit her _sisters were coming_. But in front of him, she kept up her confident front, "In the middle of the _night_? Oh, _Elliott_, I didn't know you were this cheeky."

She got the reaction she wanted. Elliott scowled, and even in the dark she could see the color rise on his cheeks. The dork was wearing a bathrobe over- well, his bare chest, and pajama pants. Now she felt a little embarrassed as well, but kept the fake smile on. She didn't want to see him, let alone _talk _to him. But... truth be told, she'd rather talk to this one than to the brother- Gods, _Andy_. She didn't want to see Andy, not after the ship where his new blondie girlfriend had pushed her off. If they never talked again even better.

Elliott grabbed a chair and dragged it over so he was facing her, he obviously didn't want to sit on the bed which was fine by her. She didn't want him sitting there either. If he was sitting down, then his little talk was probably going to last a while. "What I want to ask is... about your sister, Queen Astrid."

Out of all the things she'd expected, _that _had _not _been one of them. She couldn't help it; her confident face fell right off, and was replaced with an expression that was probably pathetic. She crawled over to the wall and sat against it to face Elliott properly, at least look him in the eye. "Why?"

"Because I want to know how the Southern Isles system works," the king replied, he said the words but they didn't make sense in Helena's head. What did he care to know?

And she might as well let him know her thought process, "What do you care?"

Something dark flickered across Elliott's face. _Oh_, she probably made him mad. She hadn't considered what _he _felt about her, having, well... tried to kill him and his little brother. Take his kingdom. This man probably wanted to see her dead. If he really wanted, he could, honestly. A spike of ice through her heart and who would miss the 13th Princess of the Southern Isles? "I care _because_ I don't want to see you dead, Helena. Treason and attempted homic- _well_, you know," when he spoke his voice was a little lower, almost strangled. She made him _mad _alright. "Those crimes are _very _serious. I want to know how... how your people _handle_ such offenses."

Helena wanted to laugh or cry, she couldn't decide on which. Oh _now _he was trying to... what? Help her? Gods, this man was _too much_. But she lost nothing by telling him, telling him all about their stupid system. "There's a council," she said, trying to keep her voice steady, because she felt the rising hysteria in the pit of her gut and she wanted to keep it controlled. "The Council of Thirteen they call it."

She could practically see the wheels turning inside the king's head, connecting the dots. His eyes narrowed as he reached the obvious conclusion. "Thirteen sisters- thirteen seats? Your council is _your family_?"

"Surprise," she said grimly, managing a smile which probably looked more like a grimace. "We all vote, majority wins. Simple, democratic, not very efficient."

"Okay, let me get this straight... if seven of your sisters want you _dead_," she flinched. "Then...?" he dragged his index finger across his throat in a cutting gesture.

"_Yes_. But Astrid... she's got a little bit of priority, being the queen and the oldest and all... in most cases, it goes how she wishes, unless there's strong opposition."

Elliott rubbed at his jaw, where there was some new stubble from the past few days. Helena looked away, a creeping feeling of shame flooding her. Here he was, the guy she tried to murder and take everything from, genuinely asking her about things to see if they were in her best interest. She was such _trash_-

"Thirteen votes, is it-"

"_Well_. Sometimes it's less."

Elliott blinked at her, surprised that she'd offer up any information at all. She was already telling him, he might as well know bits of the whole thing. "Why is that?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

"One... one of my sisters, _Cecile_, she's..." Helena looked for the right word, because _crazy_ just didn't apply to Cecile anymore. Helena felt a little crazy herself since _the Great Thaw_ or whatever these idiots were calling it. Most of her sisters, too, were pretty crazy. "She's sick," she finally said.

"Okay...?"

"Yeah, she's sick, she can't leave bed." _She's said too much_. He was learning too much about her family. Okay, that's it, no more offering up free information. She clamped her mouth shut after that.

"It's...no offense, it's a _terrible _system," Elliott seemed oblivious to her sudden silence. "No neutral parties, no mediators- you guys just do whatever the hell you want."

Helena loved talking shit about her country, she took great pride in doing so- but when _other_ people did it, it made her mad. She could do that because she lived there. The anger in her gut twisted, "Oh yeah? How do _you _Arendellans do things?"

"I have _advisors_, I don't go around asking _Andy _to make laws." He got that dark look on his face again, the gentle reminder that he _hated _her. "If he had it his way, there would be a national Chocolate Day."

"Maybe _Andy _should run the government," she shot back haughtily. The words came out easily, but it made something inside her ache. Oh how she'd hurt that boy, gods dammit. _Why _was she such a _shitty human being_-

Elliott's laugh surprised her, and it surprised him too, he caught himself almost immediately. The awkward second their eyes met made her face burn. The king cleared his throat and kicked the chair away, the discomfort clear on his body language. "W-Well. That's all. I certainly hope you have a good relationship with your sisters, seeing as your fate rests on their hands," he shook his head, still very disappointed in the S.I justice system.

"I'm dead, then," she muttered to herself, tension she hadn't realized was there got released as she lay back down. Helena wished she could sleep the next thousand years, and never ever wake up, like that German fairytale her sister Sophia read to her when they were little. And she wouldn't wake up, because there was no prince charming about to kiss her anytime soon.

Elliott paused at the door, "Pardon me?"

"Nothing, _my king_! Thank you for gracing me with your presence. Have a wonderful, _wonderful _night!" she waved as exaggeratedly as she could, blinking her long lashes at him. That effect was probably ruined by her black eye, but for now the fake politeness with hidden venom was all a girl had.

"Goodnight yourself, _sweet princess_." Elliott rolled his eyes with what she thought was the hint of a smile, and left.

When she was completely alone, and only then, is when she allowed herself to cry.

* * *

_**+++really long**_**, hopefully good chapter to start off this sequel and get to the speed of things. i loved writing this one, p fun stuff. i still need to figure out a few plot things, since i don't have the frozen script to guide me anymore, but it should be good.**

**++there was an interview w santino fontana (aka the voice of Hans) where he talked about a possible sequel to Frozen and Hans redemption and all the while i was rubbin my hands together like a fly kehehe because in another life, i wouldve probably shipped Helsa**

**\+ please, if you liked this chapter leave a review, they do mean a lot and keep the story rolling, and as always thank you for reading!:)**


	3. Chapter 2

● Elliott ●

The next morning, after a night of fretful sleep, Elliott joined Andy in one of the small breakfast chambers. The dining hall was far more elegant, but it seated many people and there was only two of them, so they used the smaller room instead. Back when Elliott was _trying _to protect Andy, they sat in that long dining table, Elliott on one side and Andy on the other, and they ate in dull silence. In this small space though, they talked nonstop.

By the time he arrived Andy was halfway done with his breakfast of eggs and bacon, but he still wasn't dressed. Elliott asked for a coffee before joining his brother with his aggressive eating habits. The prince's face was decorated with more than one food.

"Should I ask for a bib?" Elliott teased, stealing some buttered toast from his brother's plate. He rubbed at his eyes tiredly, he barely got any sleep after his little adventure last night. Instead of giving him peace of mind, the princess' words had made him restless. It just added to his already eternal list of worries.

Andy wiped at his face with the sleeve of his pajamas before snatching the toast back, "Very funny. Ha-ha."

His coffee arrived, and Elliott braced himself before taking a sip. He didn't even like the stuff. But it kept him awake, and he'd sort of become addicted to it. "You didn't wake me," Elliott said. His coffee was bitter. He poured an obscene amount of sugar and milk in an attempt to make it a little less bad.

"Figured you could use the beauty sleep," Andy said, piling even more breakfast onto his plate. Elliott smiled into his mug before trying the hot beverage again. "So how was your little midnight stroll?"

Elliott almost choked on his coffee. He was caught, Andy _knew_. How to explain? But when the king looked over at his brother, the latter hadn't even looked up, he was still busy cutting his eggs. No suspicion, no accusation flashed across Andy's face, and it made him feel a little guilty that it didn't even _cross _Andy's mind that he'd gone to see Helena.

Helena...

Now Elliott could see how his brother had fell for her. When he'd first met the princess in the ballroom a million years ago he'd been less than impressed. The moment she let her guard down and stopped being stubborn and arrogant, she was actually sort of nice- but he couldn't let five seconds of civil talk cloud his judgment. She was a great actress, after all.

'Your brother is dead. _Because of you_.'

Those chilling words made him squirm even now. He casually brushed Andy's elbow, a little reminder for himself that Andy was _here _and _well _and _alive_. Just that little reassuring touch gave him comfort. "I couldn't sleep," he half-lied.

He'd mulled over exactly _why _he'd gone- and he'd figured it out. He really didn't want anyone to die in account of him, like he'd almost killed the man back on the North Mountain. _Helena _had stopped him from doing that terrible thing. He probably wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he'd actually killed that man. He wondered, had his powers not snapped that very day, would things have been different? Would the princess have still acted the way she had? But Helena was not innocent. The princess had made choices, bad ones, and now she was going to have to face the consequences of those choices. She probably deserved everything she got. Probably. Right?

Andy rolled his eyes and as he shoveled another spoonful of eggs into his mouth, "If you don't wanna tell me the truth, fine. But we still have to do the next thing on the list."

"Fair enough," Elliott agreed quickly, eager to change the subject before Andy pressed him for details. "What is it?"

Andy opened his mouth to reply, giving Elliott an amazing view of chewed up eggs, but before he could, Kai came in and cut him off. "Your Grace, I'm sorry for interrupting," he said to Elliott. Then he addressed Andy, "My lord, Lady Krista is here to see you."

"I'm no Lady," Krista stepped into view, her face beet red at Kai's words. She was wearing a green summer dress, her blonde hair in twin braids. If possible, her face got even redder when she saw the two boys. Elliott looked down to the strip of chest that could be seen from the bathrobe he'd pulled on, and with his messy hair he probably didn't look very royal. Andy didn't look any better, in fact he probably looked worse. The mountain girl stepped back with clear mortification, "I could always come back later-"

"Oh, dang, I forgot!" Andy sprang to his feet, almost flipping over his plate of food in the process. "I forgot I told you to come early, sorry, sorry. I'll get dressed and we'll go," he glanced at Elliott with an apologetic smile, "I- I'd already made plans with Krista. We'll get on with the list later, yeah?"

Elliott nodded and leaned back on his chair, taking another hearty gulp of his coffee. How he hated the taste. "That's fine. I still have a load of paperwork to do. Yay." Paperwork _and _monitor every ship leaving and arriving to Arendelle. He didn't want any shady characters to try anything while it was so vulnerable.

Andy smirked at his brother's dry tone and went around the table towards Krista, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "You stay right here, okay? I'll be quick as a bunny-" and he was gone, already stripping off his night shirt before he was even through the door.

Krista had smiled briefly at Andy's affectionate gesture, but now that they were alone, the girl was back to her shyness. Elliott felt a little anxious too, he wasn't used to just _having visitors_. It was easy with Andy, the love was there, they just had to get to know each other again. But strangers were different. He _wanted _to know Krista, she seemed like a nice girl, and Andy spoke _very _highly of her. He studied her silently over his mug of coffee, while her eyes were forever fixed on some spot on the ground.

She stood there awkwardly, Elliott still probably made her nervous. It occurred to him then how to ease some of the tension. Andy had told him what a big fan Krista had been of his ice palace back on the North Mountain. Oh, his ice palace... he wondered if it was still standing.

"Hey, Krista," he said, and immediately the girl's head lifted up. He flicked his wrist and a small flurry of snow shot out, which quickly changed shape into a reindeer, no bigger than his hand. He knew she was quite fond of those.

"Holy gods!" Krista looked delighted, a new spark of excitement in her eyes. The little snow reindeer galloped in the air and did a lap around the room before landing in front of the girl's feet. Krista's head followed it all the way, her face one of awe. Elliott smirked and, knowing _what_ an ice harvester probably preferred over snow, he froze the reindeer into a little sculpture. Krista reached for it, but then she stopped and drew her hand back, as if she'd been scolded.

"It's fine, you can take it," Elliott assured her. "It's for you."

Her face lit up again as she picked up the little sculpture in her hands, handling it like it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. "Thank you, Your Grace. It's amazing."

He still felt uncomfortable when people complimented his curse- _magic_. When they complimented his _magic_. But at the same time he also felt incredibly flattered. "Thank _you_. You may call me Elliott, by the way."

"Okay, Your Gr- Elliott. Elliott," she amended quickly, testing out the words. He smiled in what he hoped was a friendly way, but he was so tired after last night it probably came out looking like a serial killer's smile. He rubbed at his eyes, the words of the Princess of the Southern Isles still bounded around in his thoughts. He cared way more than he should.

"I'm _ready_!" Andy burst in before things could get awkward again. He buttoned the last uneven button on his vest and looked between his brother and his... lady _friend_, with a confused smile. "You two getting along? _Oh_\- Elliott, it looks like Suri!" he gushed at the little sculpture in Krista's hand. The ice was so fine it almost looked like glass.

"Just bonding over arts and crafts," Elliott smiled tiredly at the two. He didn't want Andy to have his heart broken- _again_\- and so soon, but by looking at them, Elliott couldn't imagine how _that _could be possible. Andy still looked bedraggled and his hair was a mess, but the look on Krista's face when she looked at him radiated nothing but fondness. If they did in fact _officially _become a couple, Elliott wished them nothing but the best- just as long as Andy was a little more careful this time around.

Elliott picked at his breakfast, dreading the long and tedious day that awaited him. "Where are you two going, anyway?"

Krista blushed, "It's... um... we're just-"

"It's a _date_!" Andy said happily, he clasped her hand that wasn't holding the ice reindeer in his own before smiling at her, "We'll look at the preparations for the summer festival."

Elliott almost winced at the mention of the festival. There was no way they could afford those expenses. The king's meltdown had been an expensive one- he was still paying for all the crops that had died, all the ships that had been damaged- all the buildings. Arendelle was sturdy when it came to cold weather, but Elliott's magic had been pretty brutal on it. He didn't want to _cancel_ it either, the summer festival was always a fun time for everyone and gods knew his people needed it after his coronation disaster. He'd need to figure something out before the solstice. "Don't get into too much trouble," Elliott said dismissively, and he went back to sipping his coffee. Gods, the drink was so disgusting. The things he endured to keep things running as smoothly as possible.

Andy rolled his eyes at his brother. "You woke up packing all the jokes, didn't ya?" he tugged at Krista's hand, "Shall we go, my Lady?"

The sound of their bickering back and forth followed them out until Elliott was alone, alone with the murky brown substance sloshing inside his mug.

And he thought of his ice palace.

● Gibbs ●

"Your-Your m-majesty, we have received an urgent me-message from-from Arendelle!"

Queen Astrid slammed her cup of tea down so forcefully the fine china threatened to shatter with the impact. The flustered steward immediately clicked his heels to attention, a fine layer of sweat had already gathered on his brow. He probably was, as they said, _too old for this shit_. He doubled the queen in age, and yet here he was, her Majesty's faithful servant.

"Gibbs, _how _do I feel about stammering?" for a second he was paralyzed, too afraid to breathe, let alone answer. He'd dealt with this woman his whole life, and yet years later he was just as terrified of her as he'd been on day one. Maybe it was her harsh manner of speaking, or the piercing blue eyes, gods if he knew, but _something _about her always unnerved him. Maybe that's why she kept him around. After all, sometimes fear was better for loyalty than love.

"_Stammering is rude and for the illiterate_," he quoted her own words obediently, proud that he kept his voice didn't shake, his eyes never leaving hers. Her Majesty liked being looked in the eye, unlike some royals he knew. Maybe she thought it was a sign of respect, maybe a challenge- all that mattered was, don't advert your eyes unless she does.

Lady Madeleine, or Maddy, how she preferred to be called, snickered. She was second in line to the Southern Isles, younger than the queen herself by barely a year. They'd always been close, with a bit of a rivalry between them. They could have been twins, but where Astrid had a mane of blonde hair, her younger sister had inherited their mother's dark auburn color. That and... Maddy had a facial scar, a _big _distinctive one. It was thin but deep, no amount of makeup could hide it, it runs from the bottom of her eye all the way to her chin. She'd never said how she got it, and none of the staff knew. _Obviously _no one dared to ask. It was almost taboo to talk about. Just like you must always look Astrid in the eye when you spoke to her, an important thing to do in the presence of Lady Madeleine: do _not _look at the scar. Look at her eyes, her lips, even her _chest_\- but keep your eyes away from the left side of the Lady's face. As far as Gibbs knew, only Maddy and Astrid knew the story behind the ugly mark.

Lady Maddy had always been the sneakier of the two, every time something bad happened to Astrid heads always turned to look at the second daughter. And why not? Without Astrid, Maddy would be the next queen. Astrid kept her sister on a close leash- maybe they had an unspoken agreement, _if you kill me, you'll wish it was you who'd died instead_. Astrid was capable of those kinds of threats. He often wondered if she had anything to do with her sister's scarred face. Of course there were rumors, but nothing he believed. The butcher claimed that such a mark could only have been caused by a knife. The stableboy swore a dragon had done it. Again, nothing but rumors.

The Westergard family made him uneasy in general, from the eldest to the youngest, it had always been a very troubled family. But he'd been there from the start, he'd served their Lady Mother and he'd serve her children until he died. Or until they got rid of him. Staff changed all the time around here, especially the men.

"Good, good. Now, what's that you were mumbling?" she raised the cup to her lips, and shifted her eyes away to stare out the window at the sea. Gibbs relaxed ever so slightly, having those cold eyes on him made his skin crawl. She'd looked away first, so it was safe to talk.

"A message. From Arendelle," his words were strained, trying to keep the stammer in check. The bird that had delivered it was a fine, sleek creature made for speed, the kind bred for urgent messages. Ninety percent of the time these types of birds died making the journey. Their hearts often gave up, the poor dears. But they _always _delivered the message as fast as possible. The snowy bird that had arrived bearing the Arendelle colors died shortly after delivering. He didn't trust himself to read the message without stammering, so he simply offered the scroll with his sweaty hand.

Lady Maddy took it from him, a lazy smirk on her lips that many of her siblings shared. _That_ signature smirk that made you think they knew a secret that you didn't. The thirteen were so similar, yet so different it was amazing how they'd come out of the same parents- _well_...

Except for the bastards.

Gibbs still remembered their late king legitimizing his two bastard daughters just to spite his queen. Girls number six and twelve did not share the same mother as the rest, but they still got all the titles and privileges, were raised in the same household. Sometimes their votes weren't as valid when the Council of Thirteen gathered, but that was about the only difference between them and the 'pureborn.' Gibbs remembered almost too clearly the sheer _fury_ on the late queen's face after her husband claimed those two girls.

Their fool king didn't live very long after that. His wife was suspected, but _of course_ nothing could be proved on who poisoned the king's wine. Same as when _she _died and Astrid took the throne, the mysterious death was left that: a mystery. She died too soon, Gibbs thought. Helena had still been a little girl when her mother had died, and it had affected her a lot. Many of her sisters were proper grown ladies by then, some even married, and they did not need their mother anymore- but Helena had. Luckily Lady Katherine sort of took her little sister under her wing for some time after the death. But a few sisters and a lot of servants didn't equal a parent.

Lady Maddy broke the seal of wax with her thumb, her eyes moved left and right quite fast as she read the message. Gibbs tried not to stare at her moving eyes, in fear that she'd think he was actually looking at the scar. Her usually laidback face changed gradually, from mild interest to shock and back to neutral. Queen Astrid's eyes were still focused on the window, but when she spoke it was her sister she addressed, "_Well_?"

The princess laid the paper on the table between them, her face was back into a mask. "Little Lena's got herself into some trouble." Gibbs felt like it had been _years _ since someone had called the youngest princess _Lena_. Only Maddy and a couple others still did that.

"Helena?" Queen Astrid snapped out of her trance of looking out the window. She often did that, get lost in her own thoughts and forget she was with company. "_Our_ Helena?"

"No, the gardener's daughter," Lady Maddy shot back sarcastically. Gibbs was familiar with the cruel 'joke' the girls had played on their youngest sibling for years. Pretending she was the gardener's child, handing her shears and throwing mud at her clothes. He'd heard the young princess crying in her room more than once. It made his heart ache, but what could fat little Gibbs do to stop it? The very few times a servant had tried to intervene in the personal business of these girls it was the last time they were seen.

She had the queen's attention, Gibbs could tell. He stood awkwardly, not sure if he was dismissed or if he was meant to stay. If they wanted him gone they could just say so, but it seemed they had both forgotten he was standing right there. He decided to stay and listen, if it was all the same to them. The Westergard sisters weren't easy to love, but Helena had been kind to him in general- sure, her sisters had corrupted her, but she wasn't the _worst _of them. No, the spot for the **worst **was a constant dispute between Lady Cristina and Lady Rowena. Gods, those girls came straight from _hell_.

Astrid regarded the paper with the same bored expression she always had on when reading any sort of document put in front of her. This time though- this time her face changed. The queen's jaw clenched and she crumpled the paper in her hand- Gibbs jumped a little when said paper was shoved at his chest. Not completely forgotten, then. "Leave us," the queen all but snarled.

"Y-Yes Your Majesty," Gibbs hesitated at the door, "What shall I do with the message?"

"Burn it," Queen Astrid's eyes were _livid_. "Burn it to hell."

* * *

**+++ i rly want elliott and krista to be ice bros is that obvious**

**++ Anyone else get the Mufasa/Scar vibe with these two? i didnt notice until my friend read it and told me lol not intentional i promise. I decided to go with the servant 'Gibbs' perspective before you get into one of their heads, just to get a superficial/view from the outside. the next chapter you'll get to see the train of thought of one of them.**

**\+ if there's any confusion, you can look at the first 'chapter' and see the chart, it's been updated. i'm probably gonna post on saturdays, but i posted this one a lil early as a huge THANK YOU to all the reviews the last chapter got. they make me very happy :)**

**thank u for reading!**


	4. Chapter 3

● Maddy ●

"You don't look pleased," was Maddy's smart remark once the sweaty and oafish steward had left. Gibbs was a good man, easy to manipulate and even easier to keep quiet, qualities the Westergard girls found very important. He was competent enough, and Maddy liked having him around. He was old and not the sharpest tool in the shed, so none of her slutty sisters wished to share a bed with him, which was also good. It was tiring having to fire attractive male servants just because some of her sisters were like dogs in heat.

The Queen's chambers were spacious and _very _luxurious. It had plenty of windows thanks to the amazing view that overlooked the sea and the rocky shore, the curtains were probably never drawn in this lit up room. Maddy currently occupied the King's chambers, she could because she was second in line and Astrid was not married so no one else was using them. The King's chambers weren't as _nice _in her opinion, a lot darker than this sun-bathed room, but she couldn't complain to Astrid or anyone really. At least it was better than the room she'd shared with Astrid for _years_, but her sister was never too far away; the Queen's chambers and the King's were connected by a bathroom.

Astrid placed down her cup of tea on the table, making it _clink _loudly. One of these days the cup would break and Maddy would laugh till the end of her days. Her sweet sister was altered, an unusual sight and one she immensely enjoyed. "_Of course _I'm not pleased! You read the damn letter, did you not?"

Laughing in her face would spell D-O-O-M, so Maddy kept the bubbling laughter to herself. But having Astrid this angry was so _rare_, such a _precious _thing she wanted to enjoy every second of it. Few things made Astrid loose her cool, and who would have thought little Lena's latest adventure would be one of them?

Growing up she hadn't paid all that much attention to the youngest of her sisters, she never had. Around the time the sixth one was born she'd sort of stopped caring. Helena had been but a pink little baby the first time Maddy had got a look at her, a silly drooling baby not worth her attention. Maddy had been almost a woman grown when the thirteenth sister was born. And then she grew into this aggressive little girl, who spent far too much time with manly Katherine for her own good. _Oh_, and the '_gardener's daughter_' joke they had going on for _two years_. Rowena was the mastermind behind it, but Maddy had just sort of gone along with it like everyone else. She was a horse freak, too. That's pretty much all she knew about the girl.

Cecile claimed there was more to her than that, but Cecile was _insane_ and listening to all her random babbling always left Maddy with a headache. If Cecile had been right in the head, maybe her and Astrid could have formed a little clique of them three- they were the three oldest, after all. But Cecile was crazy and Astrid was Astrid, so her 'alliance' dreams were for naught. It was every sister on her own, pretty much. Except for the two sets of twins, they had that _special _bond of sharing the womb or whatever nonsense. The two bastards also got along well with the ones close in age to them, she knew Lena to be close with Johanna.

"Yes, but I don't get what you're so worked up about?" Maddy picked up a biscuit from the untouched tray Gibbs had brought them earlier. Every Tuesday was tea-party-of-two-with-Astrid, it was her sister's passive-aggressive way of reminding her who was in charge, that if she tried _anything _to hurt Astrid or take her throne she'd pay dearly for it. The permanent reminder on her face was enough, she thought bitterly. Looking at the ugly scar on the mirror everyday was _enough_. But Astrid was Astrid. "We'll pay that silly king to get her back, Lena will plead for his forgiveness, all that tedious stuff. _Then _you can marry her off to that gross fifty-year-old baron and she should die a happy lady."

Astrid's eyes were two glaciers as they bore into Maddy's. It was a look she was used to, but one she did not like. It was scary. It reminded her of Rowena, and even if that sister of hers was years younger, it still made her uneasy. "I'm afraid you ought to check those eyes of yours, _sweet sister_." Oh, boy, it was the _cold-bitch _tone Astrid liked to use before unleashing hell upon the listener. The _sweet sister_ just made it more dangerous. "You see, they're not asking for a _ransom_. They are demanding a trial."

At Maddy's silence, Astrid continued, "It appears Helena tried to kill not only the _king_, but also his brother, the _prince_."

Maddy met her sister's cold look meekly, with the biscuit between her fingers, "Didn't she _go _to a coronation? Are we talking about _that_?"

"Yes, we sent her as a representative of the Isles... the letter provides no details of _exactly_ what happened. They are asking for someone to go and- well, _get her_." Astrid was gone again, her blue eyes fixed on the window behind Maddy. She didn't like it when her sister got all thoughtful like that. It usually spelled T-R-O-U-B-L-E. _Lena _had got into _trouble_. Why would she do such a thing? Maddy knew better than trying to seize a kingdom by force, boy did she know. What pushed the freaky horse girl to do a thing like this? Maybe she wasn't that freaky horse girl anymore, Maddy realized. Lena was eighteen now, how easy she forgot. She wasn't the same little girl she once knew. Everyone called her _Helena_ now, her proper full name. "It will be _very _interesting to hear what happened," Astrid said in that same empty tone she used when her mind was elsewhere.

"Indeed," Maddy nibbled on the biscuit, suddenly not as hungry anymore, Astrid's heavy brooding seeped it out of her. It was like talking to a wall when she got like this. She got unresponsive, and when she did speak it felt like she was talking to herself. Poor Gibbs for having to deal with her, serve her all the damn time.

"Question is..." Astrid returned just as fast as she'd been gone, her blue eyes fixed on Maddy's, with her hands folded across her lap, "Who do we send?"

"Not me," Maddy felt like a kid again, saying '_not it!_', back when she and her siblings actually played games. It was usually Sonja who said it last, and she ended up being _it_. "And obviously not you, Your Majesty. You're _ever so important_ here," she hoped Astrid was still gone enough to not detect the last bit of sarcasm.

"Let's see, who's available- or close by Arendelle... so far up north," Astrid wrinkled her nose in distaste. That's why they'd sent Lena. Even if it was June, nobody wanted to go so far from home, but the thirteenth princess had volunteered _very _eagerly. For her assassination plans, was it? Gods only knew what she had intended, if this was just a big misunderstanding or _what_.

"I think Cristina's nearby," Maddy said indifferently, she even casually picked at her nails for effect. But inside she was grinning. She only wanted to provoke Astrid, see what she would say to _that_. The difference between the twins was amazing- Sonja was this pretty girl with nothing but air inside her head, while Cristina was an attack dog in disguise.

"I didn't know you hated Helena _that _much," Astrid said dryly, un-amused by the suggestion as expected. It would be like sending the royal executioner with axe in hand, free to rampage on foreign land.

"_Weeell_, you asked _me _who was nearby," she shrugged innocently, and smirked at her _one and only_ older sister, something none of the others could say. "I simply answered you truthfully."

Astrid shot her a look that could wilt flowers, and it only made her smile wider. She took a bite out of the biscuit, while Astrid rubbed her temples in annoyance, "In all seriousness, Maddy. _Who _do we send?"

"Let's just send a servant with some bribing money or whatever. Why does it have to be one of us?" Seriously, she was sure _all _sisters had better things to do than rush off and save Lena from whatever mess she got into. They could even send Gibbs, maybe the Arendellans would take pity on his lame self and let their little sister go.

Astrid was still not amused, and she let her know by intensifying her already very intimidating glare. "They are _specifically _asking for one of us. Preferably me. It literally feels like you did not read the letter." Maddy shrugged at that. She'd never been good at reading comprehension. All she'd gathered from the message was _Helena, trial, immediately_. "Arendelle does not need our money, either. They are a rich kingdom and- _gods dammit_, why did Helena have to go and fuck with them? I swear if they break off relations with us _because of her_-" she slammed down her fist on the table, making the cup she left there rattle. As always, the cup endured.

"We don't know _what happened_, calm down. Maybe it's a big misunderstanding. Do you _think _Lena capable of murder?" Maddy was looking into Astrid's eyes, because you were _always _supposed to do that, but where she really wanted to look at was the tea cup. The one Astrid always manhandled but never seemed to break. How could something so fragile endure so much?

Astrid scoffed and broke eye contact to pick up her cup of tea once more. Now Maddy was free to inspect the thing for any chipping, any cracks- but the cup looked as good as new. Did Astrid put an unbreakable spell on it or something? "I think _every single one of you_ capable of murder," the Queen said, none-too kindly. She paused for a second, before adding, "Well. Maybe not Sonja. Or Johanna- but the rest of you, _absolutely_."

"You wound me," Maddy said, with a hand over her heart. But her sister was not lying. All Westergard girls had that- that _thing_, that _thing _it took to kill. Not many people were born with it, some grew into it- she pictured the faces of her sisters, all different and yet so similar. Yes, she thought. They are capable of taking a life. From the oldest- she almost smiled at Astrid. To the youngest- and she got a little sad, thinking about Lena. It was a little tragic, truth be told.

Astrid had the cup close to her lips, but she was not drinking it. Her eyes were vacant again, in deep thought. At least she was not looking out the window this time. She wasn't completely gone again, she started to speak slowly, in a wondering tone. "Do you remember King Adgar?" the way she said it, one would think she was talking to herself.

Maddy didn't _feel _like she was being addressed, but she answered all the same. "The old King of Arendelle, wasn't he? The one that died at sea with his wife?"

"Three years ago," Astrid said, her eyes still blank, the cup of tea still hovering near her lips but not touching them. "And now his son is king... King _Elliott_," Maddy remembered the elegant signature at the bottom of the letter. Yes, the new King of Arendelle was Elliott. Maddy didn't care about him, he was like half her age. Probably twenty one, since he'd just been crowned. Barely a man grown. Astrid lowered the cup, not having touched it once. Her icy eyes landed on Maddy's bewildered ones. "I don't know a damn _thing _about this Elliott. Why is that?"

Maddy shrugged because, hell if she knows. She cared little about other countries that weren't her own. "They closed the gates of Arendelle like ten years ago? Maybe Elliott was sickly?" Trying to hide a sick heir was not unheard of.

Astrid chewed her lip, a habit Maddy thought her sister had dropped years ago. These news had _really _rattled something in her sister, and it was both unnerving and delicious to watch. "I knew everything about Adgar." True, Astrid liked to keep tabs on every powerful country that could potentially be a threat. "But I know nothing of this Elliott, other than the fact that he is now king and that blood of mine tried to murder him." _Oh_, yes, Astrid _loathed _not knowing things. It bothered her to no end and it brought Maddy great pleasure to watch her sister not have the upper hand for once.

"There's something fishy going on," Maddy offered, tiring of their conversation quickly. She had better things to do, and tea-party-of-two-with-Astrid was among her least favorite activities. Ever since Mother had died, Astrid took it upon herself to shoulder the responsibility of caring for all the other sisters in her cold sort of way, she didn't exactly _love _them, but if someone threatened a member of her family Astrid could be vicious to protect them. She suspected their beloved queen _may _have a soft spot for Lena, being the youngest and all.

Astrid stood up abruptly, almost bumping her knee against the table. She walked over to the window, clasping her hands together, "I _will _find out who this Elliott clown is. I want to know _everything_ there is to know about the new King of Arendelle."

"Have fun doing that," Maddy said, raising her almost empty cup in a _cheers _fashion. Their meeting seemed to be coming to an end, it seemed. Good, Maddy didn't have the patience to tolerate another hour of her Majesty's brooding. She was a pain in the-

Maddy almost dropped the cup when she felt her sister's cold fingers on the left side of her face. The queen trailed the thin line of her scar, from eye to chin, unbearably slow. She hadn't seen her _move_. The younger girl froze immediately, feeling violated to her core. Literally _no one _was allowed to do _that_. Even Maddy herself avoided touching it as much as possible, her husband was strictly forbidden of touching that side of her face. The last time Astrid had touched the scar, had ran her fingers down the skin- it had been the day she got it, all those years ago.

"I hope this stunt Helena tried to pull has not given _you _any... _ideas_," Astrid dragged her fingernail down to Maddy's jaw and gripped her chin with two fingers. She tilted the girl's head up, forcing her to look into the queen's icy eyes, "Hm, Madeleine?" her voice was soft, bordering on a hiss. It spelled D-A-N-G-E-R.

"It- _of course not_! I would never-" Maddy jerked her face away, so shaken up by her sister's actions she felt tears pricking at her eyes. She looked up at Astrid's face, and instead of seeing the middle-aged woman that her sister was, she saw the young self again, with her golden hair and dangerous eyes. That girl whose shadow she'd lived under her whole life. Maddy stood up as well and backed away towards the door. "I would never betray you, Astrid. You... you _know _that," _you made sure of _that. She felt like Gibbs when the clumsy words fell out of her mouth.

"Do I, Maddy?" Astrid was blatantly staring at the scar now. The reminder of _what happened _if you messed with the ruler of the Southern Isles. Maddy almost shuddered remembering the moment she got it, the words her sister had uttered before dragging that knife down her face. _A permanent lesson_.

Maddy gingerly put a hand over it, shame pooling in her gut. She hadn't felt this bad about her scar in _years_. The illusion of Astrid's younger self lasted a couple more seconds, before she was back to her graying-hair self. But those blue eyes had never dulled, never lost the cruel glint, they remained as bright as ever. She was still that blonde demon who thought she could conquer the world from all those years ago. The regular, almost forty-year-old Astrid smirked before looking away, back at the window, "You may go, sweet sister."

She'd shown weakness in front of Astrid, and it was going to cost her. Even after all those years, the damn scar still had a huge impact on her, and Astrid knew it. The bitch probably _relished _on knowing the effect it had, just how badly one touch affected her. To make things worse, now Astrid felt threatened by her because of what Helena did- _tried _to do. Things Astrid felt threatened by didn't last very long. "What are you going to do?" Maddy ground out, forcing her hand away from covering her scarred face.

"First I'll find out more about this King Elliott. _Then_ I shall send my reply, depending on what I find out." Astrid's eyes shifted back to meet hers. "And _then_ I'll send one of our own with terms."

"Who are you sending to Arendelle?"

Astrid smiled sweetly, and in a very Cecile-like way, she said, "Wouldn't you like to know."

● Andy ●

They made it halfway across the bridge before Krista realized someone was following them.

They crossed the _actual open gates_\- Andy still wasn't used to it, they had been closed for so long, having them open was almost surreal. He could come and go as he pleased. Everyone else, too, seemed to be enjoying the open gates. Elliott's ice rink from the Great Thaw was still standing to provide some entertainment before the summer festival, so the people of the village got to enjoy the winter activity in June. You'd think the people of Arendelle would be sick of ice and snow, but they weren't.

Some of them, Krista had told him, still didn't believe half of what had happened. Their king? The one that had been a shy little prince, with magic? No way. It must've been one big illusion, they said. The fjord frozen in the middle of the summer? A trick. Snowmen coming to life? Trick.

Elliott would convince the nonbelievers eventually. There weren't many, but the snide comments he sometimes caught when walking by always made Andy angry. What other proof of his brother's magic could they want? Seriously.

A few guests from his brother's coronation still remained in Arendelle, they were going to stay for the festival. Most of them had left the second their ships were ready to sail, they hadn't been big fans of the early winter. Andy knew Elliott was worried about what word they'd bring back to their countries- would they see Elliott's power as a threat? A weapon? It made him nervous to think about.

Andy hadn't been to last year's summer festival. He'd seen the traditional fireworks from his window, but that was it. He didn't go to any food stands, or to any live music- he'd stayed at the palace with Elliott. Back when his brother had kept his distance. Andy had recently found out Elliott's power was greatest when a solstice was near- summer, winter, it didn't matter the season. Elliott had explained that's probably why he'd been able to create things like the Blizzard Dragon.

"_And the rest of the year?_" Andy had asked.

"_I don't know, this was the first time that I've... _done _something like this._" Had been Elliott's answer. Which Andy guessed was true, it was unlikely Elliott had got the chance to experiment much with his powers before Andy had short of pushed him to reveal them for the world to see.

He hadn't told Elliott that he knew the... well, the truth. About the accident from years ago. The truth that he'd forced out of Krista, the old memories that had come back to him only after being... frozen alive. Andy hoped Elliott would _tell _him himself, when he was ready. Andy would wait. The prince had _also _had not told him about seeing his parents while being, again, _frozen alive_. He was probably going to keep that one to himself. He still didn't know if it was real, or if his dying mind had just made it up.

The last thing he wanted was more lies and stuff between them, but it _was _a delicate situation. But Andy was confident they'd get there, eventually. Maybe with tortoise steps, but _they would get there_-

"We're being followed," Krista mumbled from the corner of her mouth, pulling Andy out of his thoughts. The way she said it, he felt like they were on one of those spy novels he liked to read. Actually, it'd be _very fun_ if he and Krista were spies, if they went on missions and stuff? He wondered how the ice harvester would feel about running along the rooftop of the palace, swinging from one window to the other. It'd be so _cool_. Andy grinned at the idea.

He couldn't tell if she was playing or being serious, so he spoke out of the corner of his mouth as well and avoided glancing her way. "How many?"

They rounded the corner of the bridge and Andy saw her risking a glance behind them. She quickly faced the front again, "Just one."

Andy frowned, "Is it General W? Is he playing _chaperone _again? Because I _specifically told him_-"

Faster than he thought humanly possible, Krista tackled him behind a lettuce stand, which caused the cat that had been napping there to hiss and bolt away. He would have complained that she broke his back by doing that, but she'd landed on top of him, both of her hands pressed against his chest, which was not bad at all. A broken coccyx was the last of his concerns with Krista's body pressed against his. They were hidden behind the table stand, and had a good view of all the people passing around.

"That one," Krista whispered. To Andy's disappointment, she rolled off him and peeked over the lettuces, "The blond man."

Andy kneeled next to her behind the vegetables, scanning the crowd for their stalker. He was easy to spot: long, shaggy hair and a thick beard. He was so tanned, he didn't look from around these parts. The man suddenly looked lost, he kept getting on his tiptoes to crane his neck above the crowd, looking for something. _Looking for them_.

Andy's heart was beating faster than what was probably healthy. Lately it had been doing that, working overtime, it felt like. Maybe it didn't want to be frozen again, so it kept moving, _thump_, _thump_, _thump_. Andy slid back down against the stand. "How do you know he was following _us_?"

"He was," Krista narrowed her eyes at the man before sliding down next to him. "Jon told me that a foreigner asked around for me."

Jon, Jon... the name was familiar. _Ah_, the man that was Krista's friend, the fisherman. He lived on the village, they had been to his house the day the Meltlings had invaded it, the day General Winter had stayed behind to stop them. _That _Jon. He'd been trapped inside his house because of Elliott's ice storm.

"Foreigner? What does he want with you?"

"I don't know." But maybe Krista _did _know. She was biting her lip, probably a thousand thoughts ran through her head from the worried look on her face. Andy grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, let her know that whatever it was she could tell him. Her bubble of thought popped with that, and she gave him a nervous smile. "It's- I'm just- he's probably nothing, Andy." Obviously, _it was something _and it _did _matter.

Andy's eyes widened, "Really? 'Cause he's standing _right behind us_."

"_Shit_-" Krista instinctively moved backwards like she'd been burned, the sudden action caused her to bang her head against the stand; thus causing an avalanche of green produce to rain down on top of her head.

It took the prince two seconds to process what had just happened.

Andy roared with laughter, picking off green leaves off Krista's head with a shaky hand. The blonde was pouting in annoyance and embarrassment. The prince was still laughing when Krista's pout transformed into a glare; but she looked too cute to be taken seriously. She picked up one of the offending vegetables from her lap and threw it at him, but it just bounced harmlessly off his chest as he continued to laugh.

"You- you look like- like a baby troll that- oh, _gods_," Andy twirled the leaf between his fingers, wheezing with effort. He hadn't laughed that hard in a while.

"Bulda will be so _glad_ to hear that I _finally_ resemble my family," Krista made a face, referencing Pewter, the little baby troll Andy had met when he'd first met her family. The green patch of grass on his stone head _did _look similar to the blonde's leafy-situation. Krista's dry tone only made Andy laugh harder.

After another second of full-on glare from the ice harvester, Krista finally cracked a smile. And then she giggled, Andy's laugh more contagious than the flu. _And then_ she snorted, which in turn caused _Andy _to almost cry from just the sheer happiness he felt. It's what he'd wanted, what he'd so desperately needed after so many years of solitude; someone to laugh with at stupid things, talk about everything and nothing, just... _gods, Krista_.

"Hello?"

Out of reflex, Andy shot up to his feet, he whipped around to face the customer that had arrived at the stand. Now that he thought better of it, the owner of it was nowhere in sight. It probably looked like Andy was in charge.

"Um. Hello." Andy said awkwardly, brushing off a stray leaf that had landed on his shoulder. He could only imagine how he looked; teary eyes and face red, random chunks of lettuce here and there. He was quite the sophisticated prince. His eyes widened when he realized who the customer was.

It was that man, the supposed stalker, with his blond hair now in a ponytail. He was maybe in his mid-forties, but his weathered face made him look _way_ older. His eyes were dark brown, a sort of cool contrast to his darkish skin and light hair. He was holding a squirming cat in his arms... the cat that had been napping behind the stand before Krista and Andy startled it. Did the man just kinda chase it all around the village or?

Suddenly Andy felt nervous. "W-whatever it is you're selling, we don't want it," he sensed Krista starting to rise beside him, but he pressed his hand against her head, keeping her down. _It's the stalker, stay there, stay hidden_! If this _were _a spy novel, they'd probably be dead.

"'_We'_?" the man raised a thick brow, and Andy made a choking sound. _Yes, they would be very dead if this were a novel_. Krista didn't appreciate being pushed down, so with even more force she sprang up, sending leftover lettuce flying everywhere. _Crap_.

Krista shoved a finger at his chest, "_Why were you pushing me_-"

"Krista?" the man smiled, and Krista froze. Almost in slow-motion, she turned her head to face the man. "Krista Bjorgman?"

When the blonde did not react, Andy gently lowered Krista's finger which was still raised and digging painfully into his chest. "Krista?"

"Idon'tknowyou," she blurted out, so fast he barely made out the words. _Plain_ recognition flashed across her face, but not the good kind. Andy felt a pang of dislike towards the strange man, Krista almost looked afraid. She ducked out of the stand and ran for it.

"_Krista_!" Andy called, but she didn't turn, didn't stop. The prince gave the bearded and confused-looking man a pointed look, "You stay here, you- _don't you go anywhere_!" and he was already tripping over his feet, in pursue of his soon-to-be-more-than just a friend.

* * *

**+++ I was channeling Cersei Lannister when writing astrid, if ur familiar with game of thrones u know what i was sort of going for.**

**++So apparently the names of Elsa's and Anna's parents are ****King Adgar and Queen Idun, so that's gonna be the name of Elliott's and Andy's parents :)**

**\+ i have final exams, so maybe i won't update for a lil bit but i'll do my best to do so**

**thank you for reading!:)**


	5. Chapter 4

● Krista ●

Maybe running away hadn't been a very smart move on her part.

Her legs weren't all that long, she was not built for speed. She was still sore from running across the frozen fjord to meet with Andy, only for him to turn the other way and do the most selfless act in history. She'd been so sore, none of Pabbie's herbs had improved her condition, and the bitter taste of some of them had made her grumpy. Andy was no athlete either, but she could her him close behind; calling her name, begging her to stop.

But if she stopped, she'd have to explain, and if she explained, she'd have to- have to face _him_. She had no desire to speak to Axel ever again, and that man had some _nerve_, some gods damn nerve to show his face around here again after all these _years_. _Ask _for her, gods. What made him think she'd want to see him?

She barely managed to get around a large barrel some boys were rolling between them two. Behind her, she heard the slap of Andy's feet against the cobblestone as he'd probably _jumped over _the barrel. She heard the shrieks of alarm from the boys, so yes, Andy had indeed leapt over the barrel.

The crowd of people thinned as she was leaving the main square, luckily she hadn't crashed into anyone, the decorations for the summer festival were fewer and it just felt less claustrophobic. Far ahead she could see the glittering sea.

"_Krista_!"

_You're being ridiculous_, she imagined Suri's goofy voice inside her head. If the reindeer were present and could speak, it was very likely she'd be saying that. _And unreasonable._

You _are being ridiculous_, she argued back. Which was stupid, because in the end, she was arguing with herself. She was telling _herself _how ridiculous she was being. But it didn't matter, just as long as-

The end of the dock.

Krista dug her heels in, trying to stop herself from falling over the edge and into the water below. But she'd been going too fast and the momentum was there, she was going to fall in-

"_Krista_!" strong hands grabbed her waist and stopped her from falling. Then they yanked back, and the two of them landed on their butts, making the blanks below them groan. The wood had probably been damaged during Elliott's storm, and they would have to be replaced. "You want me to go into cardiac arrest?" Andy looked more baffled than angry, and Krista felt her ears burn with embarrassment. "_What _was _that _all about?" he gestured behind them at the disaster Krista's pathetic fleeing had caused. She noticed for the first time that they'd somehow managed to overturn a cart of supplies for the festival and also knocked down a man from a ladder who had been trying to pin up banners, he was hanging by his arms from a ledge.

She mumbled a curse and climbed to her feet "We should help him-"

"He's gonna be fine," Andy pointed at two other people below that were already putting the ladder back into place. He stood up as well and placed a hand on her bicep, a silent _don't run_. "You know what's _not_ gonna be fine?" Krista searched his green eyes, trying to tell whether he was angry. "What's _not _gonna be fine is my mental health, and the physical one, _and _the emotional-"

"I'm sorry I ran," she smacked his hand as the playful smile finally spread across his face. She couldn't help but return it. He wasn't angry. Andy really wasn't letting anything get him down, after- _well_. But she knew, if he kept bottling things up the boy was going to burst someday. To her knowledge Andy had only snapped _once_, during the coronation party when Elliott had refused to bless the marriage with Helena. Also when he'd yelled at her back on the mountain, that crippling second of insecurity the prince had had; when she'd comforted him. When she realized he wasn't just some bratty prince, but a honest guy with a heart of gold.

Krista had wondered more than once, what would have happened if Elliott had blessed the marriage? If Andy and Helena had got married, if Elliott's power hadn't been unleashed. _If, if, if_. Andy surely wouldn't be in her life then...

"I just..." she adverted her eyes, "I didn't want to... he... _his name is Axel_." the words came out easier than she'd expected, but they still left a bitter taste in her mouth. Like Pabbie's 'healing' herbs.

"Axel," Andy echoed. Then he frowned. "Axel?"

Krista rubbed her arm, still not meeting the prince's eyes. "He, uh... he is my uncle."

"Your uncle!" Andy smiled, like it was a good thing. When Krista's face remained with a pained expression, the smile melted. He placed a finger on her cheek and gently turned it so she'd face him. She'd never been good at dealing with people face-to-face. Trolls were so short they didn't care if you looked their way, and the other ice harvesters communicated with a series of grunts and cursing, and they didn't ask for constant eye contact. Not like Andy did. He probably did that to read her emotions easier. "Oh... so you- your uncle- he doesn't- the trolls, he-"

"He doesn't live with me, no," Krista said, the bitterness in her mouth overflowing to the sentence. "He didn't take me in when my parents- he didn't-" she stomped her foot in frustration, making the weather-damaged planks creak. "He doesn't care about me. I don't know _why _he's here, why _now_."

Saying that reminded Krista of cold nights and even colder soup in someone else's home. It reminded her of only having a furry quadruple as family for a long time. It reminded her of a destroyed cabin and an orphaned little girl. Of a letter saying, _I'm not meant to be a father. I am sorry. I will visit as often as_\- Krista's thoughts practically sizzled remembering the words. Words of abandonment.

"He doesn't live in Arendelle," the Prince was half asking it, half trying to place the pieces together by himself. "He must've arrived, like, today since the fjord isn't frozen anymore and all." Andy pursed his lips in confusion, "It must be urgent... Elliott isn't allowing many ships in, in case an undercover Southern Isles person tries to break out Hel-_Helena_," Andy blushed when he stammered over the word, and it made Krista's heart clench, made her momentarily forget her annoyance at her absent uncle.

_Helena _was another issue. One that constantly tormented Andy, although he probably wouldn't admit it out loud. Perhaps not even to himself. But she saw it on his face, plain as day. Krista couldn't wait for those southern people to come pick up their murderous sibling. One of the sisters of the princess was supposed to come, but there were _twelve _of them, _twelve _other Helenas. Were they all the same? Totally different? Or was Helena the black sheep?

_No_. Where you grow up, it defines you. In the long run, it's where you're raised that makes you who you are. The people around you shape you, influence you, they- _gods_, _what the hell _was Helena raised by? Some _chupacabras_? What made her be this way? It was _so _tempting to just stomp over to the girl's cell and demand answers. What did you do to Andy? _Why _did you do it? Krista would most likely never get the chance to ask, so she didn't care to give the princess another second to be in her thoughts. The sooner she left the better.

Krista sighed and hugged her sides, leaning over Andy and placing her head on his shoulder, "I don't wanna see him..."

Andy wrapped an arm around her, "I understand, but- he's standing right there."

The blonde flared her nostrils, tempted to push the prince away, but the embrace was too nice to let go of. "If you think I'm falling for _that _again-"

"Krista, may we talk?"

Krista disentangled herself from Andy and shot a surprised look at Axel. Her dead mother's brother. Standing right there, with the gray tabby cat still in his arms. So casual it made her insides twist. It looked like he hadn't aged a year since she'd last seen him, which was more than a decade ago. "You left this behind," he said, and from some back pocket she couldn't see he pulled out the little ice reindeer Elliott had gifted her that very morning. She hesitated, _now _she had nowhere to run. Behind her was only water, and in front of her was the man that had practically turned his back on her.

Drowning in the water felt like the most appealing of her options.

● Elliott ●

"Queen Astrid won't take kindly to you keeping her sister hostage."

"Oh, _please_," Elliott winced as the woman fixing his newest suit poked him with yet another needle. He stood on a stool with his arms stretched out like a scarecrow, which hurt a little bit because his shoulder still hurt from where that Sandlane man had shot him with a crossbow. "She's hardly a hostage. We're treating her _way _better than she deserves-" he almost yelped when the measuring tape slithered around his neck, ticking him and startling him. "_Edna_!"

Edna Mode, the foreign woman he'd hired for this very task of a new outfit looked up sharply at him with her beady black eyes, hidden behind thick rimmed glasses. His coronation outfit had been one of his best, and it had somehow disappeared under the ice one he'd created for himself, so he got the best he could to replace it. Edna was famous from Corona to Milan, the woman was short, around General Winter's height and carried just about the same attitude as the snowman.

"If you'd stop squirming, this would be a lot simpler, darling," she jumped down from the even taller stool she had to use to reach the king's tall self. He didn't mind that she addressed him that way, it was just how she was. The short woman had a needle between her teeth as she examined Elliott up and down critically, like an artist would their masterpiece.

He'd been standing there for a little over an hour, his legs and arms were starting to cramp and he'd really rather be anywhere else _but _here. Where he really wanted to be was up at the North mountain, and see if his castle still stood. Of course, thinking about going back was just a little fantasy to keep his mind occupied from the kingdom's real problems. He could not, _would _not leave again. Not when food was short from the crops dying and damages needed to be attended to.

While Edna continued to stare he shifted his eyes over to Zazu, the newest steward he hired to help Kai, he'd been the one that said that the southern princess was a hostage. He used to be a majordomo over in Africa, from the Pride Lands or something like that. He was dignified and so far a good advisor, and Elliott appreciated his council. The older man's hair was... unique, it was _blue _(with a good many streaks of gray), a deep blue that made an amazing contrast with the man's dark skin. Then again, almost white-haired Elliott wasn't one to talk about unusual hair color.

Years ago his father had reduced the staff when he closed the gates to keep Elliott's secret, and now that the secret was out he was hiring some new faces, Zazu being one of the first changes around the palace.

Apparently finding another flaw, Edna climbed back on the stool and continued to poke His Grace with every needle she could. "I agree you've been exceedingly generous to the princess. But I'm afraid Queen Astrid will not feel the same." Zazu leaned back on his chair, worry lining his face. "She _will_ retaliate, and only gods know _how_."

"I'm not afraid of her," Elliott said. It was true. By birth his title gave him power, but his curse... _magic_, his _magic_, gave him _real _power. He could actually _do _things, _defend _what was his. If a Southern fleet were to attack, Elliott could sink them all, if it came to that. He obviously did _not _want it to come to that, but if it did, you know, he'd be ready. Besides, Astrid and a handful of other girls were nothing to be afraid of, right?

Helena made her sisters sound like they were the pinnacle of all evil, but could it be true? Were they _really _as bad as she painted them? Or did she just want Elliott to fear them?

The old majordomo got to his feet and began pacing, "Do not underestimate them. You asked me to find you information about them, and so information I have gathered." After sending out the letter to the Southern Isles, Elliott had realized he might have to meet with one of them when they came. And he honestly knew next to nothing about about the Isles, so a little insight would be good to have. "As you well know, Astrid is the queen. But before her, it was her parents. They are both dead."

"It was _regicide_," Edna said, as she tugged Elliott's sleeve down and slipped a pin in the fold. "Feh! The man was poisoned- suffered quite a lot, if the gossip tells it true. The old king fathered two bastards, didn't he?"

_That_ was news to Elliott. So two of the thirteen did not share the same mother as the rest. Was Helena one of them? Was she a... bastard?

Zazu nodded, stopping his pacing to look at Edna's work with the hint of a smile. "That is correct. Girls six and twelve." _Helena is thirteen_. _She's not one of the bastards, _Elliott thought. But the girl before her was. "The former queen was not pleased by her husband's infidelity, and he died shortly after."

"Helena's father was murdered by her _mother_?" Elliott didn't mean to voice it out loud, but the shock made him. No wonder Helena was so wrong in the head, _gods_. All Elliott had known before concerning the Southern Isles was that they were a young nation, gathering influence, and it consisted of seven islands. They were mostly a marine kingdom, good in trade. In the text books there was no talk of _regicide _or anything of the sort.

"I believe it to be true. Then the mother died, under rather shady circumstances, and Astrid became queen," Zazu wrung his hands anxiously, as if he dreaded sharing the next bit of information. "There is... something else," the steward took a deep breath. "The Lady Madeleine, second in line, it is also rumored she tried to... ah... tried to kill Astrid. Tried to take the throne from her own sister."

Elliott would have doubled over if he hadn't been so stiff from standing in that position too long. Edna would throttle him if he moved and all her hard work fell apart. But... _seriously? _Did these girls know no limits, _gods_. They really _were _all ruthless. "What... what happened to Lady Madeleine?" Elliott swallowed the thick lump that had formed in his throat. He knew for a fact the second princess had failed, that Astrid was very much still alive. He had never heard of Madeleine.

"Ah, Madeleine. I designed her wedding gown, you know," Edna chirped, not surprised by Zazu's research. This probably was old news to the designer. "She's flat as a board, and that hideous scar made things difficult, but she _was_ dazzling on her wedding day! I daresay prettier than Sonja." Elliott did not know who _Sonja_ was, but he assumed she was one of Helena's prettiest siblings.

"She survived with a facial scar to show for it," Zazu explained. "Again, it's only rumors, but it's said Astrid let her go with _that_ as a warning." Everything with these girls was rumors, nothing seemed certain, other than the fact that the _let's-kill-a-monarch_ deal ran through their veins apparently. Madeleine and Helena had both tried, and they had both failed. Their mother had died under _shady circumstances_. Elliott wondered, what if Astrid had killed her _mother_? Zazu had kind of hinted at it. Had she been successful? He shuddered just speculating about it. _Horrible horrible horrible._

"So, I beg of you, Your Grace, _do not _underestimate the Westergards. Perhaps don't fear them, but _do _be careful when dealing with their kind." Zazu went back to his chair, ran a hand through his blue feather-like hair. "I... where I come from, one brother murdered the other." Elliott closed his eyes and tried to tune out the man's voice. He did not want to hear it, but the words filtered in anyway. "For a _crown_. And it still mattered not, as the King had a son- but the son was wracked with guilt, and he left us with his cruel uncle..."

"I understand." He tried to imagine if Andy- if Andy would ever be capable of- but he could not. He really could not even imagine it. Andy wasn't like the people Zazu had served, or like Helena's family. His little brother had never had eyes for the throne, not once. He certainly would not _kill _for it. If Andy had been anything like- like that Madeleine...

"I think we are finished," Edna said, but she still didn't look entirely satisfied. "I'll do some fabric testing, but your new suit should be ready _very _soon."

Relief flooded him as he lowered his arms at long last, and he let Zazu's warning wash over him. Fine, so these ladies _were _to be feared, even a little bit. It was no game. He got that. He wasn't sure how he felt about knowing these disturbing things about them. "Thank you, Edna," he stepped down from the stool, when he suddenly remembered, "Wait, you didn't get any cape measurements?" He got one of those wistful flashbacks of the North mountain, when he'd let go of his glove and of his cape. How he'd let that thing fly away, ride the wind to gods-knew where.

Edna looked like _she _had been pricked with a needle, "_No capes_!"

* * *

**i wanted to include some more disney characters, but timelines were just **_**not **_**matching up, so this AU kinda thing will make do,:) if u guys like me including other characters like this let me know, if not i'll stop!**

**hahha sorry for dragging it on, you'll find out krista's uncle's intentions in the next chapter.**

**i'm still in exams but i really wanted to get this one up as soon as possible, as a thanks for all the reviews the last chapter got!**

**thank u for reading!:)**


	6. Chapter 5

● Andy ●

Andy ended up sitting between Krista and her uncle, which proved to be a terrible idea.

Krista was glaring so much, he feared that alone would burn a hole through the man's head. Axel was the complete opposite. His posture was relaxed, he stroked the cat's head almost lazily, the gray tabby mewled in delight at the attention. He resembled what Andy thought a _surfer dude_ would look like. The prince had promised he'd be a neutral party, whatever that meant- the tension wafting from Krista was palpable. They sat in an outdoor restaurant, Andy had just had breakfast and Krista could not eat a thing, so the only one with a tuna sandwich in front of them as Axel. He took bites like a starving man.

"I assume you didn't come all this way just to steal that cat," the blonde girl finally broke the silence. "Uncle _Axel_." She said his name like one would say _dirty socks_.

Andy sighed. Acting diplomatic was hard with Krista so on edge. He wanted to side with her, tell this man to go back to whatever Caribbean place he'd been sun tanning for the past years and leave Arendelle. That would probably make Krista very happy, and by extension make _him _very happy. However, Andy was willing to hear the man out, even if Krista was not. The atmosphere was too tense for such a beautiful, clear summer day. The perfect day for a _date_. A date this man had rudely interrupted with his presence.

"I understand you are angry. You have every right to be." He tore off a piece of his sandwich and fed it to the cat. It was hard to be annoyed at a man feeding a stray cat with such ease. "And I am sorry, Krista. I truly am." His dark brown eyes were honest when he looked up at Krista's lighter ones. His were apologetic, while hers were _fire_.

"Yeah, well, your apologies don't fix anything," Andy didn't know Krista to be capable of such ire. He remembered her face of disbelief when she'd laid eyes on this man. Like he was back from the dead or something. Also when she'd confessed, '_he doesn't care about me._' It was easy to place the pieces together, even if Krista hadn't really told him much. He knew her parents had passed, and that she'd pretty much lived with the ice harvesters and with the trolls. Then this uncle, he had not raised her, had not taken her in when her parents...

Axel had abandoned her.

Andy knew a few things about abandonment.

So, yes, Krista had every right to be angry. He didn't know the full story, but Andy fully supported her side. This man should seriously have a damn _good _reason to show up here.

"I know, and I'm sorry," he repeated. "I can't fathom how I'll make it up to you, but I can try."

Krista scoffed, "That's because you _can't_. Unless you can _travel back in time_-" the blonde raised her arms and glanced at Andy like, _can you believe this guy_?

"Krista." Axel sighed, ran his hands through his sandy hair and let it loose, no longer in a ponytail. "I cannot imagine what you've- what you've gone through, all alone..." he said, and had the grace to look guilty at Krista's pointed _well_, _DUH_! face. "I failed you, and by doing that I failed my sister. Failed your father too." So he was the brother of Krista's mother?

The man looked so sad, Andy almost felt bad for him. It did not help that the gray cat was purring against his chest, giving him the most innocent look possible. "I... You would not have been happy with me, Krista. I was... I was into some bad stuff when your mother... you know. I was in a bad place. I had to leave, for a while." the uncle said.

"You didn't take me with you. You didn't _come back_," the raw hurt in her voice was probably worse than the anger. Andy grabbed her hand from under the table and squeezed it. So the uncle used to be a... what? Be a drunk? Andy didn't know, didn't really want him to elaborate. Perhaps the man was right. He didn't strike Andy as a very responsible person. Maybe Krista _had _been better off with the trolls, they _adored _her.

Axel looked down at the checkered mantelpiece, he began picking at some of the threads. "It was better that way, trust me..."

Krista rolled her eyes, apparently not buying into his sob story. When he'd mentioned failing her parents, something in Krista's hard face had changed, but it had been for such a fleeting second Andy thought he'd imagined it.

"So why are you here?" she leaned forward with both elbows on the table, resting her head on her hands. The glint in her eye said she was changing tactics; from being aggressive to feigning intrigue. He opened his mouth to answer, but Krista quickly added, "Your _real _reason, please. Don't say you came just because you _missed me_."

He shut his mouth, opened it again, like he was dumbfounded she'd read him so easily. Finally, with a bit of a guarded expression, he said, "Were you aware of your parents' will?"

"_You're here because of MONEY_?" Krista all but roared. She stood up, making the chair scrape loudly on the cobblestone, the sound drew unwanted attention from passerby's. Andy stood up as well, having had enough of this family reunion. He had not said a word, but he'd been listening, and so far this guy was a bit of a jerk.

Her uncle flinched back, and the cat's tail puffed up, "No, no, no, you misunderstand me! I- I know your parents didn't leave much, I meant your _mother_'s will. The one you possess is their _married_ one, of the things they shared. My sister, she had a testament of her own. "

His words made Krista pause, stopped her from storming out. So that was news to her. "Sit down, please, let me explain," Axel said. He stroked the cat's fur soothingly, and with his other hand gestured at Krista's chair. She reluctantly sat back down, and Andy did the same.

"Well?" her face showed nothing but polite interest. But her eyes gave her away, they shone. Andy could relate, anytime some servant or someone that had known his own mom mentioned something about her, the little information felt good to know. She'd been gone for three years, and he still missed her every day.

Axel relaxed, he was all smiles again. "Your mother left a second will with me, for when you turned eighteen. I, ah, I guess I missed your birthday," he mumbled the last part sheepishly.

Krista waved away his last comment, "yeah, yeah, you missed out on most of my life," her jab wiped the smile right off his face. The cat jumped out of Axel's arms and onto the table, the striped tail almost wagging like a dog's, but much slower. It locked eyes with Andy and jumped on the prince's lap, rubbing its head against his tummy. Andy gasped in surprise, but recovered quickly and rubbed the feline between the ears. It purred.

"I thought we could read it over together," Axel continued, trying to ignore the happy cat that had just betrayed him. Andy made a show of petting the cat's head and its sleek back.

"But... my mom didn't have much? What could she possibly have left me?"

Axel smiled, "Oh, it could be many things... belongings, money, proprieties..." Krista's eyes widened at the third thing, and it only made his uncle smile wider when he said the last one. "_Marriage contracts._.."

Andy jumped so bad he startled the cat, who hissed and fled. "_What_!"

● Maddy ●

Her buffoon husband whined like a child when she announced she would not be joining him for dinner.

"Oh, Madders, come _on_!" he pouted, which looked rather ridiculous in a grown man's face sporting a coarse black beard. She glared at the 'endearing' pet name he'd had for her since they were young. He knew she hated it with a passion. "It's like you're married to _Astrid_, not me! You don't have time for me anymore."

"I spend all _day _with you. I've spent all my _life _with you," she retorted, and then she realized her statement probably applied to Astrid as well. If he noticed, Josef didn't point it out. He continued to rock back and forth in the chair in their room in the King's chambers, like the brat he was. "I need to speak to her, okay? It's about that king who's got Lena."

"_The Snow King_," Josef said in his best squeaky voice. _Gods_ he could be _so _annoying when he wanted to. His dark curls were out of place, his dress shirt rumpled, the slob he always was. "_Froze the entire fjord. Boo!_"

"You read through my papers, didn't you," she wasn't asking it, she was stating it. She had a handful of reports tucked under her arm, things she'd researched to get back in Her Majesty's good graces after the tea party fiasco the other day.

And ho and behold, who would have guessed? King Adgar's son was born with quite the special talent. _The power to control ice and snow_. Just thinking about it made her shiver. If the reports and testimonials she'd managed to get were true, which they probably _were_, Lena had got herself into a hole so deep there probably was no bottom.

Things now spelled D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R. If Astrid didn't want problems with Arendelle before, she sure as hell wouldn't want them now. How did you even _fight _this? What hope did they have of winning this one?

It didn't matter. It wasn't her problem to deal with, it was Astrid's. All she would so is deliver the news to her, pretend to be the good sister like she always did. It should appease the queen, at least for a little while.

"You shouldn't leave things laying around that you don't want me to read," Josef sighed, like the mature adult that he was. "Fine, no dinner. Shall I expect you for bed?" She tried to ignore the resentment in his voice. More than once, she'd pulled all-nighters in Astrid's company, helping the queen decide how to run her gods damned country. On those nights Josef would be left alone, longing for his wife. Maddy was Astrid's biggest rival and greatest friend, and she did not know how to balance that out. One minute they'd be best friends, the next Her Majesty would be threatening to exile her own sister.

She rolled her eyes and readjusted her grip on the peace offering for Astrid, "Yes, love. I'll grace you with my presence after visiting our queen. I won't be long." _I hope_. Sometimes what she expected to be a five-minute conversation would drag on to _hours_. Astrid was just unpredictable.

"Hm. Very well," when he stood up, she was reminded of the height difference between them. He didn't _tower _over her, but he was no short man either. He focused on her face and smiled with that stupid goofy face of his, and she suddenly felt self-conscious about the scar on the left side of it. Astrid had gently reminded her of _that_. "I eagerly await our time together, my lady," Without thinking, she reached up to cover the ugly mark, something she hadn't done in front of her husband in _years_. Almost immediately, he grabbed her hand and removed it. "You don't have to hide from me," he said firmly.

The pure affection on his face made her melt.

"Josef..."

* * *

On her way to the patio, she practically ran into Johanna.

"Oh, Madeleine, I'm sorry!"

"Watch where you step," but Maddy's voice didn't hold the usual bite. Even when all her papers went flying, she didn't explode on the twelfth sister. She was probably still blushing like schoolgirl, flustered at her idiot husband's actions. Her sweet, dorky Josef. Many things on her life were a nightmare, and she'd committed a large amount of mistakes, but blessedly marrying Josef hadn't been one of them. He quite literally was the sun in her otherwise shitty life. She'd been lucky with him, some of her other sisters had married the worst kind of scum.

Johanna took note of her sisters' dreamy look, like she took note of everything. She raised a dark brow at the older woman. Johanna was her mother's daughter, an exotic beauty with tanned skin, dark hair and even darker eyes. Maddy's father could have easily denied that she was related to him, but he claimed the bastard girl anyway. She was the smartest of all of them, the intellectual little bitch that only ever talked to Lena, they were born about a month apart.

Before Maddy could process it, Johanna was on her knees, gathering the papers. "You dropped these."

"I know I did," Maddy mumbled, annoyed at the younger girl's stupid observation. They'd crashed in the middle of the stairs, Johanna was going up, while Maddy had been going down. She hoped Astrid was still having her sugary cakes in the patio. If she was not there, she would not know where else to look for the queen at this time of day. The sooner she was back in Astrid's good side the better.

Johanna paused before rising, reading over one of the papers quickly. Maddy realized this too late. She snatched them away, furious at Johanna's intrusive nature. "That's not for you!"

"Is that about Helena?" Johanna's voice was calm, but she did look significantly paler. "King Elliott froze Arendelle?"

Maddy shoved the papers under her arm, "How do you know all those things?" she snapped. She'd been too distracted to realize the little bastard girl had been looking through the papers. Naturally, Johanna seemed to know more than she let on.

"Gibbs should _really _make sure the letters burn when he tosses them in the fire," Johanna said with an impish grin, but her eyes were still worried. "And _you _should be careful while doing research, Maddy. The walls have ears."

"_The walls have ears_," Maddy imitated in a butchered version of the girl's voice. It was childish, but she did not care. Johanna's superiority complex was a lot to stomach. She thought she was _so clever, _this bastard girl. "Whatever. I'm meeting with Astrid to tell her."

Johanna smirked, and the signature facial expression was the only sign that they were related at all. "Okay, Maddy. You do that." Her tone implied she knew something Maddy did not, and it just made her madder. She began to storm away. She was at the bottom of the stairs when Johanna called her.

"_What_?" Maddy yelled back, "What the hell do you want now?"

"Help Helena," Johanna said, with a strange sincerity lacing her words. "Her fall is our fault."

"What is _that _supposed to mean, you pompous piece of-"

"Her fall is our fault," Johanna repeated, disappearing up the stairs, "_some _more than others, certainly. But we're all to blame. Her fall is our fault."

* * *

Johanna made as little sense as Cecile sometimes, so Maddy decided not to dwell on her sister's words. Lena's misguiding was _not _their fault, everyone made choices, however beneficial or rotten they turned out to be. You make a mistake, you accept the consequences, you own up to it. Maddy had made a mistake once, a huge mistake, and she was still paying for it years later; the scar on her face was a souvenir of that one mistake.

Astrid was finishing up the second of her little tart-cake things she liked to eat outside, which was an indicator that her sister was in a decent mood. No servant girls ran away crying, which was also a good sign. She'd known her sister long enough to read her mood through little things like that; also if her hair was pinned up or not, her amount of makeup, etc. It probably made no sense to anyone else, but Maddy knew her sister. She knew her better than anyone, and she still was not sure if that was a good thing.

The queen's hair was loose, in lazy blonde waves down her shoulders. Okay, maybe she wasn't in the _best _mood. Maddy approached silently, half expecting her not to notice her presence right away. But Astrid was Astrid.

"Stop sneaking about and come here," she didn't even bother to glance Maddy's way. She picked up another sugary treat and shoved it in her mouth, "have a seat, tell me what you've found out."

Maddy tried very hard to hide her disappointment. Of course, one of Astrid's "_little birds_" had probably already informed the queen of what her younger sister was up to. _Little birds _was Astrid's name for her _spies_. "_Oh, a little bird told me_," this or, "_One of my little birds saw you_," that. It was infuriating how she wanted to know everything all the time. In fact, one of Astrid's best _little birds_ was Johanna, who shared Astrid's thirst of wanting to know everything. It was a disease, _gods_.

"I'm not _sneaking about_," Maddy let herself fall on the chair opposite of Astrid's. She pulled out the papers and let them fall on the table. Maddy used most of her self control to avoid helping herself some of Astrid's cakes. She remembered when they were younger, and Sophia had tried to grab one. Her hand had been red for days, from the slap the then-heiress had given her. "Here," Maddy gestured at the papers, "I'm sure you're already aware of all this, so I won't bother to explain."

Her disappointment was dull and obvious. _Of course _Astrid probably already knew about Elliott. She would've been the first to know, or maybe second to nosy Johanna.

"Actually, I'm not. I figured I'd let you do the research for me," Astrid said, helping herself to yet another cake. She ate so many and so frequently, Maddy wondered how her sister managed to stay so slim. Then again, the stress alone did take a toll on her appearance.

"Oh?" the tiniest bit of hope fluttered in her chest, and she hated it. She hated that it felt so _good _to know something Astrid did not, have information that would please the queen. "Did no _little birds _sing you a song?"

Astrid shrugged, "The birds have been quiet... all I've been receiving is whispers," the queen frowned, suddenly looking uncertain, "Whispers of things that should not be."

Maddy felt the smile spread across her face faster than she could stop it. Teasing Astrid was dangerous ground, but if she did it cleverly enough, maybe she could pull it off. "Really? Things that should not be?" she raised her eyebrows, "Could you elaborate?"

The blonde narrowed her eyes, probably not appreciating Maddy's half-mocking tone of wonder. "Magical nonsense, powers of..." Astrid shook her head, deeming it too ridiculous to even consider. Maddy bit her lip to keep from laughing. So Astrid _truly _did not know about... oh, gods, this was too good, _too good_. "What is it that you found out? About Adgar's son?" Astrid may know a little, but she did not believe it. Didn't believe that such a thing could be possible. All the proof she needed was right on that table, and she wasn't bothering to read it.

Maddy nodded to herself, flipping through her papers like there was nothing interesting in them, "Oh, not much... he's quite the architect, not good with horses... very good at math! He enjoys-"

"I asked you about things that _matter_," Astrid's annoyed voice cut in. "Not his dating profile."

"Ah," Maddy pretended to be confused. Astrid shook her head, irritation all over her face. _Let her think I'm dimwitted, she'll let her guard down_. "Well... there's this other thing, it's nothing of big importance, but..."

Her older sister rolled her eyes and picked up yet another treat. "Elliott, he does this thing, he..." Maddy said and took a pause, she waited until Astrid took a big, big bite out of one of her cakes. _Chomp_. When the queen's cheeks were full, with whipped cream dripping off her chin in a very unladylike manner, Maddy dropped the bomb. "He does this thing where he can control ice and snow."

The queen's reaction was maybe the best moment of her life.

Later that night when she was giggling under the covers with her husband, she reminisced the moment over and over, determined to burn it into her memory.

"Out her _nose_?" Josef's voice still held disbelief.

"I swear, whipped cream shot _right out of Astrid's nose_," Maddy's eyes were dry, she'd cried herself out from laughing so much. But _thinking _about it still made her shake with glee.

Astrid's ire had been worth it. After collecting herself, after getting _Maddy _to collect herself, she'd pored over the reports, with distress and anger clear on her face. Maddy had commented in the background, told her older sister about Sandlane and how Elliott had broke off relations with the duchess. Astrid sent servants back and forth, barking orders, making preparations Maddy did not care to know.

It got quiet after that, a little scary. The queen was silent, but Maddy knew what was going through her head; she was calculating, and she was planning. Like Maddy had thought, they'd never faced this kind of thing before. Would Astrid take the offensive, as always? Or try the defensive for once? This was too tricky, with them holding Lena prisoner and all. In the end Astrid was too aggravated to continue with the topic, she said she'd have something figured out by morning. _Good luck to her_.

"I would've paid good money to see that," Josef sighed, sounding honestly sad that he'd missed it. He burrowed his face in her hair, still with an arm around her waist. She'd _never _tell her doofus husband how much she immensely enjoyed these kinds of moments between them, but she suspected he knew.

She wondered how Astrid could bear itH. ow she could shoulder the responsibility of ruling all by herself. Maddy would have probably thrown herself off the highest tower if it weren't for Josef, he was something to look forward to at the end of every hard day. Marriage had been restlessly suggested throughout Astrid's rule, even when she was younger she'd had lots of suitors, but none that kept her interest for very long. Father _was _going to just arrange a marriage for her if his heiress didn't decide, but he died before he could do that. After him Mother died too, so Astrid was left to do as she pleased, which turned out to be the single life.

It was not that she needed someone, no. Her sister did perfectly fine by herself. But the matter of heirs was a pressing one. Astrid did not have any children. She didn't seem to _want _any. If Astrid died with no heir, Maddy would be queen. Maddy didn't have children either, but she was younger and she had a husband, so that was two steps ahead of their current ruler. It was like Astrid was just going to leave the throne to her, but knowing her sweet sister, she probably had bigger things planned.

She rolled over and nuzzled her husband's neck, "It was the _best moment_," she murmured. With Josef's warm body next to hers, she continued to wonder, did Astrid ever envy this? Did she ever feel lonely?

"Quiet, or Her Majesty will hear you," he whispered back. It was impossible she'd hear just from their adjoining bathroom, since they slept in the King's chambers and she slept in the Queen's, but Maddy did try to quiet down. "I'm surprised she didn't threaten to kick us out for how you delivered the news to her."

Maddy rolled her eyes, "Oh, she did. Wouldn't be the first time this week."

"If she ever does good on her word, where would you like us to go live?"

Maddy smiled with that same evil smile she'd let slide when Astrid had not known about Elliott's power. "Arendelle, obviously."

She'd said it sarcastically, the proposal was just ridiculous, and Josef laughed. She hadn't meant it, she'd never even visited the cold place so far north. She had no wish to.

Little did she know, that was about to change.

* * *

**+++i wanted to show off a little more of helena's sisters, to get a feel on their characters y'know, now u've met johanna, got to know maddy's not-so bitter side a lil better. and **_**yes **_**game of thrones references are here to stay **_**foreeeverr**_**.**

**++eeeey I hope things aren't confusing, my english isn't rly the best, and i do try to make myself as clear as possible. if you have any questions, please ask (not as guest) so i can answer ya :) no spoilers of course.**

**\+ next chapter there'll be a little someone from Atlantis :) so that should be cool, after the positive reviews on more disney characters, i'll be sure to introduce a few more! aaalso next chapter, if u've missed helena's POV, ur in luck! i know i have, kehe**

**thank you for reading!:)**


	7. Chapter 6

●Andy●

"What do you mean, '_marriage contracts'?" _It was the first time Andy had spoken up during this whole thing, and when he did his voice came out squeaky. He cleared his throat, and tried again, "Marriage contracts for _who_?"

Axel raised both eyebrows at him, probably surprised Andy was not a mute after all. "Well, it means my sister probably had someone in mind for Krista to wed someday," he explained. "An arranged union."

Andy struggled for words and came up empty, "_What_?"

Krista seemed to be on the same boat as him, but she was not managing words at all. Her eyes glared at her uncle, but her mouth was open in confusion. At her lack of response, Axel continued, "Don't worry, they're probably from a good family. You know how your mother always wanted to, ah... rise up in the social ladder," he cringed at the way he put it, but continued on, "They'll probably be a good match for you, sweetheart. Your mom wanted what was only best for you. You will have a good marriage." Axel smiled, and it made something twist inside Andy.

Krista gripped the ice reindeer Elliott had gifted her like it was the only thing anchoring her to the ground. She stared at the smooth ice with a lost look. Meanwhile, Andy was in a panic. An alarm was ringing in his head. What did Krista's silence mean? Acceptance of... of _this_, whatever this was? The possibility of losing Krista suddenly became _too _real. They weren't _officially _together, after all that had happened, but with a little time, dating for a while, Andy thought...

It wasn't his place to say, it really, _really _wasn't. It didn't feel right, but he _had _to say something. "Krista doesn't _have _to do anything. She... she could honor her mom's wishes... but she doesn't _have_ to," the words left him easily, and before he lost his nerve, he added, "Krista is her own person. She can choose."

Both blondes turned to stare at him, wearing _very _different expressions. Axel seemed irritated, and he stared at Andy as if he were seeing him for the first time. Krista was smiling at him, but it was a smile he hadn't seen before, it was both grateful and a little sad, and made whatever was to come worth it.

"Excuse me, I'm afraid Krista did not introduce us," Axel squinted at Andy, perhaps trying to make him feel small. "Who are you, young man?"

He _lived _for moments like this. It made him feel a little guilty and like a brat, but the satisfaction he got almost overshadowed those feelings. "Prince Anders of Arendelle," he said coolly, nodding at Axel's shocked face. "Pleased to meet you."

The snippet of memory came to him fast, but it came to him all the same. When he'd first met Helena and crashed into her, she'd been really mad with him at first. But the moment his title of prince came up, she was all smiles. It hurt to remember, so he blocked it out.

"My... lord," the man stammered and bowed his head. Krista's smirk was infectious and he beamed back. Looking a lot less confident, Axel stood up, "Perhaps we can talk another time. On our next meeting, I'll bring your mother's testament and we'll read it together, yes?"

"Fine." Krista nodded curtly at her uncle. He hesitated, his arms spread almost as if he wanted a hug, but Krista remained seated, eyes narrowed at him, "I'll see you some other time, then."

Dejected, her uncle's shoulders slumped, "Very well, Krista. See you," he bowed his head at Andy before hurrying away. Once out of earshot, both Andy and Krista started talking at the same time.

"Can you believe this guy-"

"Who did my mom want me to marry-"

They shut their mouths simultaneously. Andy smiled sheepishly, silently indicating that she should continue, so she did. "I don't know who my mom intended me to marry... I didn't really know anyone growing up."

"Except Suri." he said, trying to lighten things up. But he was secretly worried about this, what it would mean for Krista, for them...

"Except Suri," she agreed. The ice harvester sighed and rubbed the back of her head, "Can we ignore what just happened, at least until tomorrow? I, uh... would like to enjoy the rest of our day together." Her cheeks turned pink, and the prince was all too happy to follow that plan.

Andy smiled brightly, "We sure can."

Realizing Krista's inconsiderate uncle hadn't paid for his sandwich, Andy left a few coins on the table and left with the blonde, trying to get his positive mood back. But he still couldn't shake those words. _Marriage contracts._ _They'll probably be a good match for you_. Andy tried not to sneer.

"What did he mean... your mother tried to '_climb up in the social ladder_'?" he asked as they entered a busy street, he reached behind him to take Krista's hand in his to not lose her.

He didn't turn to look at her, but he could _feel _the roll of her eyes. "She always dreamed of marrying rich. But, ah... she fell in love with my dad," her voice was affectionate, "I think she was happy with her choice in the end."

The corner of Andy's mouth rose. Krista's mom liked her choices.

_And I like mine_.

●Helena●

The royal physician, who went by Dr. Sweet, arrived in her room the morning after the king's visit.

It was obvious the man was not from Arendelle, he was probably new, from the staff Elliott had been hiring. He was a tall black man, completely bald, and very muscular, so he was not a bad sight. The only downside was how much he _talked_. Kept being loud and boisterous about places he'd visited, placed like _Atlantis _and things she honestly did not care to know about.

He sucked air between his teeth as he examined the bruise around her eye, "Whoever did this had a mean right hook, princess, _jeez_!"

She tried with all her might to not pull away from him, "You don't say." He only chucked at her flat, emotionless tone. Now Elliott was sending doctors to look after her, what kind of game was he playing? _Why _did he care?

_He's a good person. A good person you tried to _murder-

She pulled away from the man's grasp, as if that would stop the voices inside her head. Dr. Sweet wasn't affected by her rudeness, and he rummaged through his bag, looking for something. If the shame she felt now was unbearable, she could not imagine how it'd be with one of her sisters. She'd melt into a puddle, probably. If she was lucky the earth would swallow her. Having both Elliott _and _one of her sisters, together, judging her-

"Are you okay? You're looking a little pale there," he placed one big hand against her forehead, frowned when he found nothing wrong. "Huh. You don't want some fresh air?"

"Fresh... air?" _Out of this prison?_

The man shrugged his massive shoulders, "It could do you some good." Dr. Sweet pulled out a small jar and dipped his fingers in. "We can go for a walk," he smeared the transparent ointment around her eye and she almost shivered. The stuff was ice-cold. He smirked, "This is a new thing I'm trying out. King Elliott helped me create it with his magic. Ice is wonderful to reduce swelling." _Of course _the ice king wonder was involved in this. His kindness annoyed her more than it did her any favors.

She tried her best to ignore his empty promises of getting her out, but he was oblivious to that, as he continued to chat away, "By the way, I thought it was really nice what you did. While the prince and king were away."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Dr. Sweet laughed, like her obvious confusion was cute. "So humble! When no one else was here for the people, _you _were. I saw you giving that cloak that that woman," he winked. "And when you fed those children? The free glögg you gave out?" Hearing all the good things she did didn't cancel out the bad, but it did make her feel a little less shitty. "You kept everyone calm, you comforted them! How many royals would do that?!"

Since there was no mention of the awful things she'd done, she realized something. What had gone down between herself and the Arendelle family was a secret. No one knew outside that blonde girl that was with Andy. _Duh_, Elliott obviously did not want that to be known. She'd been _this _close to destroying them, and that kind of weakness would not be perceived well by the public. To the people outside she was still the heroine that had stepped up when no one else had.

"You're too kind, Dr. Sweet," she said, remnants of her manners coming back. She hadn't bothered with her polite facade since the Great Thaw, but if this man thought she was so wonderful, and the civilians did too, maybe escaping wasn't so farfetched anymore. Out of boredom she'd memorized the guard rotations, and since Dr. Sweet was here... there was no one outside her door. They probably trusted the doctor to not free her. _But the doctor didn't know_. The old fire inside her started to catch on, "And you are right, maybe fresh air _will _do me some good."

He grinned at her, "Perfect!"

He started to gather his things, and she sat here, not believing her luck. _Could this be any better_? But she was wary. The opportunity was too good to be true, this was all too convenient. Was this a test? Did Elliott want to press even more charges against her?

_Who cares. You're already in a world of trouble, might as well try this_.

She would not be getting another chance like this. She _had _to take it, she _had _to go before her sisters got here. As she followed the tall man out the door _the actual unguarded door_, she planned inside her head. Her title could only get her so far, she'd have to also rely on her looks, her cunning, whatever it took.

"We could visit the marketplace, see if they have something else for your eye," Dr. Sweet said as they went down the staircase. The staff of the palace gave her funny looks when they saw her, but nothing more. _And no guards_. She held her breath, waiting for someone to stop them as they strolled right out the open gates, but nobody gave her a second look. _No Elliott, no Andy either!_

"That would be lovely," she said absentmindedly, already craning her head in every direction to look for the perfect opening to escape. As she had suspected, once outside the palace walls every face that saw her was a friendly one.

"Princess Helena!"

"My lady!"

"What happened to your eye?"

She fake- smiled at the little boy that had asked the intrusive question, but offered no answer. People parted for them as they walked, and it felt _so good, _the looks on their faces so in _awe_, she felt herself swell with pride. "It's her, son! The princess that got that wood for our family, there!" a man pointed.

"Thanks to her we didn't freeze to death."

"See? They remember!" Dr. Sweet laughed beside her. She forced a laugh in return, but her eyes were looking at the few ships bobbing in the water.

_If she managed to get on one, where would she go?_

Any ship that would take her would be good, she decided.

Losing the man in the crowd was easy.

The Arendellans were preparing some sort of festival, she assumed it was the summer one because the solstice was so close. Because of that, the streets were more packed than usual, and all it took for her to get away from the doctor was duck away behind an alley and wait for him to notice her absence.

"Princess? Princess Helena?"

She would have laughed, but she didn't dare risk the sound. _She was free_. She traveled along the alley and popped up in another street, just as busy as the other one.

Helena pinned her hair up and carefully snatched away a man's hat right off his head as he passed by, he didn't even notice. She fixed it as best as she could so it would hide her face, if someone knowledgeable of the situation saw her, the black eye would give her away immediately. Her clothes were fancy, but not so that they would attract a lot of attention.

Hopefully her appearance would be enough to trick any ship captain into thinking she had any money on her. For jewelry she only had a gold bracelet and her pearl earrings, and now she cursed herself for not bringing the rest of it. Literally she'd left all of her possessions back at the cell, and the carelessness would cost her. Then again, packing up all her belongings would've looked suspicious with the doctor, so it was probably better this way. The bracelet would surely get her a nice ticket out of here, and she could always use the earrings for emergencies.

As she lost herself in the crowd she considered her options. Go to a pawnbroker straightaway and get some good money, or just straight up trade the jewelry for passage on a ship. Money would probably be the wise thing to do, and a hot meal would be nice as well. She shouldered her way through the crowd, careful to keep her hat on as it was the only decent thing about her 'disguise' if it could even be called that. If people looked carefully enough, they _would _recognize her, so she attracted as little attention to herself as possible.

That lasted for a good ten seconds before the crowd thinned and she tripped over a loose stone. If the world was good, she would have landed on her face and that would have been the end of it. But the world was _not _good and things were not in her favor, and she actually crashed against someone.

"Do you _mind_?" she cried, jerking away from the guy. She raised her hat to see who it was, and when she did, her heart most literally _stopped_.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I wa-"

Andy's voice died mid-sentence as his green eyes locked on hers. The tensest second of her whole life dragged on for an eternity. She got the most horrible flashback of when they'd met, that first encounter, almost exactly like this one, when Andy had crashed into her. _The fates were cruel_.

The spell was broken when a girl's voice said, "Andy?"

The blonde caught up to Andy, who seemed to be paralyzed. Then the girl followed his gaze to Helena's face.

"Shit!" she didn't know what fueled her arms, but she shoved the prince so hard it was almost worthy of that time this same blonde girl had shoved _her _off that boat after the Great Thaw. The prince cried out as he fell, but Helena wasn't there to see it, as she had already spun on her heel and she was running, running, running.

●Krista●

"Was... was that...?"

"That was Helena," Andy confirmed, still sitting right in the middle of the street after being shoved by that wicked little princess. He was still staring after her, as if his eyes alone would bring her back.

"_How _did she escape?" Krista demanded, not really expecting an answer. She thought the windows of her room were barred, the door guarded, and there was no way... unless someone had got her out. A feeling of cold dread settled on her stomach. Was that the thing Elliott and Andy were worried about, when they didn't admit a lot of ships in?

"We need to go after her," Andy got up slowly, almost like an old man. His eyes were still intensely focused on the path Helena had escaped on, like it was the only thing he could see. The tiniest pang of jealousy shot through her, but Krista quickly dismissed it. Andy wasn't infatuated with Helena anymore, the intensity in his gaze was something else entirely. Something between determination and crossness.

Still, the fact that the princess managed to look great even with a black eye and a ratty hat on her head was a little disheartening. If it was Krista sporting that look she'd probably resemble someone that had lost a bar brawl. Somehow, Helena had managed to make that look work, and it annoyed her to no end. "We need to tell Elliott!" Krista said.

Andy shook his head stubbornly, turning to look at Krista. His expression was fierce, "No, no, we can take her!"

"True... but if she gets on a ship, it's over," Krista reasoned. "Elliott's the only one that can give the order that no ships leave."

The prince growled, a sound so unlike Andy it surprised her. She loved the prince's sweet side, but she couldn't lie; this side was mighty alluring too. "I still think one of us should stay on her tail," Andy said.

"Fine. At your insistence, it will be me," she said. Andy's frown deepened, and he was about to protest, but Krista was already running. "Go get Elliott," she called back.

The blonde had seen the look on Andy's face when he'd encountered Helena. He'd been totally helpless, and if he caught her, chances were he'd be too afraid to do anything. That girl had traumatized poor Andy for the worst. That was not the case with Krista.

She'd shove that witch off fifty ships if she had to.

* * *

**in case you didn't catch that, Dr. Sweet is from Atlantis!**

**i've been sick lately, and with a little bit of a writer's block, so i don't know when the next update will be, sorry about that:( but i hope u enjoyed reading anyway!:)**


	8. Chapter 7

●Andy●

Andy clenched his fists so hard he wouldn't be surprised if there were little crescent-shaped marks left behind. His jaw had probably also suffered some damage from the way he kept tightening it with anger. But he couldn't help it, because _Helena was loose_.

He hated the paranoia feeling buzzing inside his head, it felt like the air was charged with electricity of the worst kind. She could be anywhere, she could have doubled back and be _right behind him_-

He whipped around, like the madman he was, but of course there was no one else. The prince tried to take a calming breath to steady his breathing. _Be rational_. Most likely, she'd be looking for a way out of here. Andy had to get to Elliott and stop any ships from leaving. If things got messy, Elliott could totally freeze the fjord's water again. _As long as she doesn't escape_.

But... would it _really _be so bad if she escaped? She'd be gone, forever, out of his life. The thing was, what if she _came back_, came back with an army? With her Southern Isles buddies? He cringed just thinking about it. He ran inside the open gates, making a beeline for Elliott's study.

"Elliott, Elliott, _Elliott, ELLIOTT_!"

He said his brother's name like a mantra, hoping that the words alone would somehow summon the king. They didn't. They did, however, startle General Winter out of whatever activity he'd been doing. The little snowman rushed out of a room, swinging his brand new ice sword in every direction, "What, what, what... what's wrong? Slow down, m'boy."

"Have you seen- where's my- where's Elliott?" Andy had ended up sprinting, since all his power walk had done was make him anxious that he'd be too late. Andy frowned at the General's funny-looking appearance. Random patches of black fur stuck to his snowy exterior, "Were you threatening the stuffed bear trophy-thing again?"

The mounted bear they owned was _really _creepy. It stood in its hind legs, mid-roar, the ugliest creature Andy had ever seen, full of scars, a malformed and rugged beast. Father said its name had been "Mor'du", and it had been a gift from some Scottish queen Andy had never met. It was a hideous thing and the prince didn't understand why they kept it. When he was little, the thing terrified him. It still did, actually.

By ignoring his question, General Winter affirmed what he'd been up to. "He's with Dr. Candy. The man seemed a little upset, if you ask me. Come on, I'll take you." For a second Andy was confused, he didn't know any '_Dr_. _Candy_,' but then he realized... Dr. Sweet. Why was Elliott hanging out with the new doctor? Did something happen?

_Well, how convenient for Helena! _he thought angrily as the snowman led him down the hall. If Elliott was hurt, then all hope of stopping the wicked princess was gone. She would win.

He sensed Elliott before he saw him.

The temperature outside the king's study was a good ten degrees lower than the rest of the palace, and the room just emitted cold power. The door swung open and Elliott stormed out, a snarl set on his usually amiable face. A trail of ice followed in his wake. Behind him was a dejected-looking Dr. Sweet, with his head down and a sorry look on his face.

"Elliott-" Andy started, but was swiftly cut off by the king.

"Helena. I know. Come with me." Elliott said, his legs were longer and his steps more determined, and he'd soon left Andy behind. Dr. Sweet followed meekly, as well as an eager General Winter who was sensing a fight.

"How did she get out?" Andy had to jog to catch up to Elliott's angry pace.

A muscle in Elliott's jaw twitched, "Dr. Sweet. I... did not tell him what Helena had done. In fact, nobody knows besides you and I and a couple of guards. He took her out to get some _fresh air_."

"She saw the chance and she took it," Andy said, low enough so only they could hear. He should be mad that Elliott hadn't told anyone about Helena's true nature. But... he wasn't. He didn't _want _people to know, not for _her _sake, but for _his_. It was too humiliating.

"_I leave Princess Helena in charge_!" that's what he'd said before riding off to find his brother. He had left their whole kingdom in her care. To the people she was still that wonderful princess, so of course she'd feel comfortable escaping to go to them.

"To make things worse, I just got word from the Southern Isles," Elliott said as they left the palace.

"What? _When_?"

"_Just _before I learned that Helena had escaped," Elliott's voice was frustrated. "Her timing couldn't have been worse... ah, Dr. Sweet," the king turned to the doctor, "Please inform Zazu of what's happened, and to tell the dock master that no ships leave under any circumstances until I say otherwise."

The ashamed doctor bowed his head, "As you wish."

The two brothers kept a good pace as they headed into the village. People stopped to point and call out to their king, but the royal family didn't stop to chat. Elliott acknowledged them with smiles and small waves, but his legs never stopped moving. General Winter skated close by, the small cloud above his head that never stopped creating snow to keep him cool assisted him in that.

"What did Helena's family say?" Andy asked.

"They're sending someone _very soon_. Turns out one of the sisters was visiting Corona, and they'll stop by here, I guess."

Andy's geography needed a little polishing, so he asked for the first person he associated with the country."One of Helena's sisters was visiting Rapunzel?"

"Apparently." Elliott said. For the first time, the king seemed to notice something was amiss, "Where's your girlfriend?"

"She's not- not my girlfriend!" _yet_. Andy felt the heat rise to his cheeks, and even in the hectic situation, Elliott smiled in amusement. "She went after Helena."

"That's not good," Elliott's smile was gone. "She could be in danger."

"Krista can handle anything," and as he said it, Andy desperately wanted to believe it.

●Krista●

Krista started to think they had hallucinated Helena from the lack of progress she was having on finding the auburn-headed nightmare.

She was leaving no clues for Krista to follow. She wasn't knocking over stands to slow her down, or shoving people out of the way. Then again, the princess' face when she'd bumped into Andy back there had been just short from absolute shock. She'd thought herself safe, but for some reason the gods made it so they found each other again. Helena hadn't been counting on that.

The blonde stopped dead in the middle of the street to think this through. This pointless chasing of a ghost was doing no good. Okay, okay, if Krista were a disgraced princess from the south, whose escape plans had practically _just_ been foiled, where would she go...?

_Well, I'd look for a captain stupid enough to take me, someone that doesn't live here and doesn't care about the king's rage... a pirate!_

There was no guarantee that her guess was true, but the pub 'Neverland' was _right _across from her. There weren't all that many options for the princess to hide in anyway. Krista knew for a fact that it was a traveling pirates favorite spot when doing business in Arendelle. In fact, she frequently delivered ice for the place, if it was for their drinks or to use the cold to numb pain from bar brawls she didn't know, but they _were _clients of hers. So she wasn't very nervous about going in, she knew the owner (sort of), but the people inside varied every time...

Helena didn't need to be a genius to guess the type of people that went in there, the shady look of the place alone was enough. Perfect for some princess smuggling. It was her best bet, so Krista mumbled a silent prayer to any god that would hear it and she went in.

The sharp smell of beer almost made her gag as she stepped in, but she sucked it up before she could attract any attention to herself. But opening the door to the dark tavern was like having the spotlight turned on, and every head immediately turned her way. Every pair of eyes, or single eyes sporting eye patches, peered at her in a menacing way. Many of the pirates were missing limbs, their clothes didn't match half the time, and it was very easy to tell apart the rich captains from simple crew members.

What was even _easier_ was spotting Helena.

She was already all over the wealthiest-looking pirate, a man sitting on the very back with black hair that draped over his shoulders, a thin black mustache and a large chin. Helena was twirling said mustache between her fingers, her eyes hooded, obviously buttering him up to get safe passage on his ship. The man was actually eating up her act, his undivided attention on the princess. Both of them did not notice Krista's entrance, but the chubby man with the red sock-hat beside the pirate did.

Krista took a deep breath and walked over to the trio, with as much courage as she could muster with half the tavern burning holes through her with their intense staring. _For Andy, for Andy, for Andy_, she wished he was here. Or Suri. No, scratch that, she wanted General Winter to be here. She would feel ten times more confident with him around. Even if he was barely five feet tall, the little snowman was a force to be reckoned with.

By some sort of miracle, she made it to the end of the place, but she wasn't sure how to announce her presence. Luckily, someone did it for her. "Captain," the pirate's assistant said, narrowing his eyes at her through his large and bulbous nose.

"It can wait, Smee, don't you see I'm talking with the... _lady _here?" the man purred the last words and, as if on que, Helena giggled. _Gross_. The man shifted his arm and something flashed in the light; a fine steel hook was where his left hand should be. Great, Helena was trying to make deals with _Captain Hook_.

"Actually, sir, it can't wait," Krista somehow found it within her to speak up. She didn't even know why she bothered with being polite; he was a pirate after all. But it did the trick, she got his attention.

"Well, well! It seems we've been getting all the luck with beautiful ladies today!" his green eyes examined her with an approving glint. He smiled crookedly at Helena, "Friend a' yours?"

Helena's face was both annoyed and horrified, and it pleased Krista immensely. "I'm afraid not," the princess said, quickly transforming her face to a more pleasant one. "I haven't had the _pleasure_." The way she forced out the last word, it indicated that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with the ice harvester.

"Krista Bjorgman!"

Krista blinked confusedly; the words had not left her mouth. A cold metallic arm was placed around her shoulders in a side-hug, and from the sheer bulk she knew who it was; John Silver, cook extraordinaire and owner of this fine establishment. "It's good to see you," he said warmly, and Krista tried not to stare too long at the missing half of his face which had been replaced by metal, she also knew one of his legs shared that same fate.

The technology used to replace his lost parts was advanced and _very _expensive, he was the result of a rare experiment that had long since been banned. Banned or not, John was half robot now, and that's all that mattered. His previous pirate life was something he did not enjoy talking about.

"You know the lass?" Hook said, miraculously losing interest in the lady on his lap. Helena immediately went into _planning mode_, Krista could see it on her face. The hazel eyes shifted over to the back door, she was already calculating for a plan B. Gods, did this girl never stop her plotting?!

"Know her? Krista's been delivering ice here for... How long?" Silver, the bear of a man glanced at her with his good eye and his robotic one, and she tried her best not to be intimidated.

"Uh... for years?"

"For years!" he echoed, and gave her a friendly pat on the back, which with his superhuman arm, almost knocked the breath out of her. "Can I get you anything? On the house, obviously."

"I'm good, John, thanks!" she beamed as best as she could manage. Helena was getting twitchy, as if she'd make a run for the door any second. In a moment of blunt stupidity she slid in the booth _right next to _Helena. The princess made an indignant little noise; now she was trapped between Krista and Hook, so the moment of stupidity turned out to be a good play on her part. "Unless my friends here want anything?"

"Rum!" Hook said immediately.

"You got it," John nodded and went back to the bar, his metallic leg whirring as he moved.

"Actually, Helena here wasn't being all that truthful," Krista said, keeping her best poker face on. So far she'd made the right calls, Hook seemed to like her and the princess did not look so confident anymore. "We _do _know each other."

"Aye, I got the feeling," Hook said, appreciating the two women with a slight smirk. Krista had to play this right, she could not reveal what was really going on; the place was full of criminals after all, and it could go both ways; they could help, expecting a reward from Arendelle's family. Or they could help _Helena_, in hopes of an even bigger reward from the Southern Isles party.

"She's the one I told you about," Helena blurted out.

Krista's heart tripped and face-planted on barren ground. _She was an idiot! _

_Of freaking course _Helena had already fed this captain all her lies. Hook paused for a moment, raising a dark eyebrow at Krista, "She the one that stole yer man?"

"That I stole your... _what_?" Krista's mouth shot open, momentarily confused. _Just like that_, Helena had swiftly taken back control of the situation.

Helena nodded so fast her whole head might've fallen off, "Yes. Now they're after me, like I told you. I need to get out of here, _right away_." She scooted away from Krista and closer to Hook.

Hook's previously kind-ish face was suddenly murderous. "Ye stole her man, ye framed her, ye beat her!" At Krista's blank face, the pirate pointed at Helena's eye with his hook, "Blacken her eye ye did!"

It took exactly three seconds for Krista to catch on and for her temper to flare. "Did she fail to mention her '_man' _is -_was_\- _Prince Andy_? And I did not _steal _him! _She_," Krista jabbed a finger right into the princess' ribs, "tried to _kill _him!"

"Don't touch me!" Helena sneered, and Krista met her glare with the same intensity. Things were getting out of hand too fast. It would be _amazing _if Andy could arrive with reinforcements right about _now_.

"I'm not following," Smee looked between the two girls. He pulled off his glasses and wiped them with his shirt, "_This _one told us a different tale," he said, referring to Helena, "and now yer saying the exact opposite!"

"Silence, Mr. Smee!"

"Because _I'm _telling the truth!"

"No, you're not!"

"_You're _a huge _bitc_-"

"Rum for you all!" A different voice boomed.

The tension was quickly defused by John Silver expertly sliding four glasses filled to the brim with dull brown liquid. Amazingly, the captain caught it using his hook, as if he were used to it, but his narrowed eyes never left Krista's. Krista accepted the drink too and brought it close to her chest, but now she was thinking like Helena; what was the fastest and safest way to get out of here in one piece? Things were certainly _not _going smoothly, the only thing keeping order was John's sudden presence. One did _not _want to mess with John Silver, the huge man with robotic parts.

Arguing with Hook while he was under Helena's charming spell felt like a losing battle, so Krista tried to figure out her next best move. "Hey, John? Have you met Princess Helena here?"

"_Princess_?" Hook had been in the middle of gulping down the rum, and it elegantly flew in all directions as he spit it out. He raised his hook to Helena's chin to force her to look him in the eye, "_Yer a princess?!_"

"_Whaaat_? Helena, _why _would you withhold such information?" Krista said, mentally patting herself in the back. That was a good save. She didn't know Helena hadn't introduced herself as a princess, she just wanted to keep John around, but maybe this was what she needed to turn Hook against Helena.

"Y-Yes, I'm a princess," with more nerve than Krista thought her capable of, Helena batted away the cold iron hook from her chin, "I just didn't want to say so in such a... _public space_," she said carefully, and then a lazy smirk replaced her uncertain look, "I figured you'd want to be the only one to know, once we were on your ship. Do you know how many people would offer to take me if they knew who I was?

"But now... I'm afraid my title has attracted unwanted attention." And curse Helena, curse her sly self a thousand times; she was right. All of the clients were looking their way now, all the sleazy-looking pirates had a greedy glint in their eye upon realizing a princess was among them. Was Krista imagining it or... where they getting closer?

"_OUT_!" Silver suddenly barked. He used his large body to shield the four people at the table from the prying eyes. "Out all of you!" His robotic eye flashed red in a menacing way. The pirates didn't need to be told twice when a man like John Silver gave an order.

The complaints were many, and they were loud, but eventually everyone but the five of them filed out. The air was charged with tension, the way it did before an avalanche. Every instinct inside Krista insisted that she leave too, but she couldn't, couldn't let Helena get her way. She had to _at least _stall long enough for Andy to get here.

But this was very difficult. Just when she got the upper hand, Helena would swoop in almost immediately and regain control. She was a smooth talker, no wonder Andy and so many others fell under that charm. It was almost an art. The art of deception, for sure, but still. That cunning was what had got the princess this far. Krista wondered which of Helena's sisters had taught her these tricks.

"Good, we've got some privacy. _Now_," Silver growled and dragged a chair over to sit. "_James Hook_, you tell me what is happening. Now!"

Krista had to bite her tongue to stop herself from laughing. So this guy's name _really _was Hook? Krista had just nicknamed him that inside her head, but the cruel irony was much more funny. "I don't even know anymore, mate. The blonde just came in an' started jabbering about Prince Andy an' something about trying to kill him?" Hook exchanged a look with Mr. Smee, "I jus... I don't know."

Helena, who was still trapped between Krista and Hook, stood up and slammed her hands down on the table, "I don't have time for this! I have to go!"

"You're not going _anywhere_," Krista growled, yanking the girl back down by the collar of her shirt. Helena looked momentarily surprised at Krista's strength, but she quickly went back to her snarl-y face.

For the first time, she had the luxury of having the princess' full attention. "Look... _Krista_. Regardless of what Andy told you... of what you _saw _on the fjord... I just, I can't... I can't be here when my sisters get here. I just _can't_." If Krista hadn't known any better, she would have believed every word. Even when Helena grabbed her hand and squeezed it to make her point more urgent, Krista would not be swayed. "So please don't make this difficult. Just let me leave."

Krista sighed and pulled her hand away. She had siblings too. Adoptive siblings. Trolls. Lots of them. And she understood that sisters could be a pain, and brothers too, but they _were _family. Even if they weren't blood-related, they still had a special bond. Helena acted like her sisters arrival would be the end of the world. "You are staying here, and you are answering for your crimes."

The corner of Helena's mouth twitched. "I had to try."

Before Krista could even figure out what _that _meant, Helena had already leaped on top of the table, practically stepped over John Silver's face, and made a run for the door. It all happened so fast none of the three pirates or Krista could even react on time.

"_MR. SMEE_!"

But Hook's cry was useless, as the poor assistant couldn't do anything but watch as the princess almost made it to the door. And she would have made it, she could have got away, and left Arendelle, and never be seen again.

The door swung open with a blast of cold air, so powerful it was almost thrown off its hinges. The floor and walls were quickly coated in a fine layer of ice. It was as if Helena had slammed against an invisible wall, because she stopped dead in her tracks, her face that of a startled rabbit.

Two castle guards marched in, spears in hand, and they stood on either side of the door. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hook ducking under the table and pulling Mr. Smee down with him. She was pretty sure they were going to try and crawl away to the back door, but in that moment she didn't care. Silver remained seated, his good eye and his robotic one drinking in the scene. Krista scrambled out of the booth to greet Arendelle's king. _Their timing couldn't have been better._

Elliott stepped in, his spine so rigid it could have snapped. But his grand entrance achieved the effect he'd probably wanted; Helena was not trying anything, she just stood there, paralyzed. Andy's posture was the complete opposite of Elliott when he walked in behind his brother. His shoulders were slouched, his eyes down, avoiding Helena's. General Winter waddled in, breaking the silence, "That her?"

"That's her, General." Elliott's eyes were the color of ice, but they burned like a fire. "_Helena_."

The princess seemed to regain her ability to breathe, and outstandingly, she managed not only to smirk, but to meet Elliott's intense gaze, "I suppose it's a bad time to invite you a drink?"

●Elliott●

When they had seen the crowd of pirates outside Neverland, Elliott figured out pretty quickly they probably weren't out there because of a pirate convention, but because something was going down inside.

He was still kicking himself over being so foolish. He should have at least told Dr. Sweet that Helena was not to be trusted at all. Don't give out the full story, just... enough. Enough so _this _situation wouldn't happen. But he had decided to tell no one, and doing that small kindness to the princess may just cost him her escape.

"What do you think?" Elliott arched a brow at his younger brother, who was very nervous no matter how many times Elliott assured him that the southern girl would not get away.

"Y-yeah, maybe, um... yeah, they could be in there." Andy swallowed with difficulty, his green eyes more jumpy than himself.

"What worries you?"

"That's _Neverland_, Elliott! You know who owns that place? The robot guy! Krista could be- and- and Helena, she could've-"

"Pull yourself together, m'boy!" General Winter, ever the voice of reason, spoke in his gruff voice. "We shall go in there, and destroy whatever must be destroyed. It will be simple. Like a cake. Yes."

The General nodded to himself, he was more driven and confident than the two brothers put together. Elliott was very glad that he'd tagged along. "Piece of cake?" Andy muttered.

"We won't be destroying anything. The objective is to- ah... capture." the King gestured at the two guards that had accompanied them towards the door, "Make sure the place is secure. We're going in."

"Yes, Your Grace," they replied.

"We don't even know if they're inside," Andy said.

"We have to hope so," Elliott summoned a ball of ice to his hand, "Or else she'll win."

●•●

* * *

The walk back to the palace was one of the most awkward moments of his life.

He was so uncomfortable he couldn't enjoy their... victory. If that was even the word. They could not exactly drag Helena back to the palace in chains, like the General had very kindly suggested, so they walked. Side-by-side, almost casual. Like they were just four friends hanging out, with a small snowman waddling happily beside them. If it weren't for the two guards that were never too far away, it would've been almost believable.

Andy and Krista walked a few steps behind them, talking in hushed tones. She was probably telling his brother what had happened in there. Andy's discomfort was the biggest of all, one could almost feel it in the air. And Helena, well... she seemed calm, which made Elliott uneasy to say the least. She had a way of hiding her emotions that was nothing to joke about. It was impossible to tell what she was feeling, her face betrayed nothing, her eyes were steel.

"I told you I didn't want to see you dead." The words left his mouth on impulse. Helena's eyes barely flickered in his direction, but she didn't say anything, so Elliott continued, "And you still ran, even when I practically assured you that you would not be getting death penalty, _you still ran_."

"I certainly wasn't going to stick around if I could help it," she snapped, her mask chipping if only a little bit. As they passed by a flower stand, two little boys stepped on their way to hand both Krista and Helena flowers. Elliott didn't know what kind of flowers they were, but Helena's was red. With her perfect princess training, she curtseyed at the boys and took a sniff of the flower, a big smile on her face.

"Thanks, Ivan!" Krista called out to the man in charge of the flowers, probably the little boys' father. Again Elliott was reminded of just how much his people loved Helena. The worst part is that she knew it. It would only stop if Elliott revealed the truth about her, but that wasn't something he was about to admit to anytime soon, and neither was Andy. He'd just have to deal with all the loving glances his people were sending her way until they reached the castle. Then he'd make sure she was locked up for good.

"You committed crimes, _princess_," Elliott kept a smile on for the people that waved at him as they walked past, but his words to her were harsh. "You have to take responsibility for your actions. You don't get to run from them."

"Kinda like _you_ did on your coronation day?"

The words were said in such a way that they were practically a slap to the face, and it made him stop walking immediately. Helena stopped too, meeting his icy glare with a smirk. She had tucked the flower behind her ear, making it contrast with her auburn hair in a very nice way and he hated it. Andy bumped into him, and Krista managed to dig her heels in before she bumped against the princess.

"Why... why are we stopping?" Andy said. He tried to catch Elliott's eye, but the king seemed to be trying to freeze Helena to a statue with his eyes alone. "What were you talking about?"

Helena was not acting like someone who had been defeated, in fact... it didn't make sense. She had looked very upset when they'd barged in the pub, but she'd quickly covered it up. And now her cocky front was up again, and Elliott couldn't stand it.

He refused to let her get the better of him, so he flashed a smile to match hers, "Nothing, Andy. Just how excited we are that one of her sisters will be arriving any day now from Corona."

"_What? Which one_?" and the mask slipped yet again. This time it was Elliott's turn to smirk. She knew how to make him angry, but he knew how to get back at her. She fumed at the expression on Elliott's face, "Corona is too close they- they could arrive any _second_!"

"Isn't that wonderful? The sooner the better." He gave her a not-so-gentle push on the back that border-lined on a shove, "Keep walking."

Helena grit her teeth and looked behind her, as if tempted to run. Krista immediately tensed, ready to give chase if it happened. General Winter's fingers tightened around the handle of his sword. The king himself felt a funny tickle of icy power in his fingers, but he didn't act on it, instead he watched.

The bright summer sun made Helena's eyes look like a green sea flecked with gold, and Elliott felt wrong for staring, but something about the look of longing on her face was captivating. She wanted to be free, just like he had for years. But Elliott had got out the cage he'd made for himself and let go of all those feelings that had plagued him for years, and eventually he had felt somewhat free. Helena was not quite there, and her cage was a completely different one. She had a lot of work to do.

With a sigh of resignation she tore her eyes away from looking back, and for a second a deep sadness crossed her face. Moments like those, it was easy to forget that this girl no older than twenty had almost put a sword through his back. He was about to speak before a flustered-looking dock master reached them, Kai right behind him. "Your Grace! They're here!"

"Who is here?" Elliott's eyebrows rose as the man hastily bowed and tried to catch his breath.

"Their flag is a bronze lion on a yellow field," the man said.

"Oh, _no_..." Helena mumbled. Her legs twitched under her weight, and it looked like she was about to run again. Elliott's arm shot out and gripped her arm tightly to stop her before she could make any sudden moves. "The Southern Isles, probably, Your Grace," Kai said.

"That's not... they told me they were _coming_," Elliott said, recalling the message he'd received merely _hours _ago. "_Not _that they were practically on our shore!"

The dock master shrugged, "They must have sent it while on the ship, traveled all night. Speaking of their ship, it looks wicked fast. Can cut through waves easily, and the winds were in favor-"

"_No_," Helena twisted her arm, trying to get out of Elliott's grip, "_Please no_," the begging tone was so unfamiliar Elliott was alarmed for a moment. "Is- is the ship military? Does it look like it's from the army?"

"Unlikely. It's not military or for business, looks like it's for pleasure, for vacation. Made for speed though," the dock master informed her.

He felt her relax beneath his hand for a second, but she got tense again very quickly when Elliott spoke, "Military? Why would they send-"

"One of her sisters is in the navy... an admiral, I'm pretty sure." Andy had said it so quietly for a second Elliott thought he had imagined it. It was the first time his little brother had acknowledged Helena's presence since the pub. "Cristina, I think that's her name..."

So Helena just wanted to know who had come. From her obvious relief, Elliott gathered that it was not Cristina on her war ship. From Helena's reaction, this admiral sister must be one of the less pleasant ones. Elliott forgot how much time Helena and Andy had spent together during his coronation party. How much they knew about each other from that night alone, just like right now Andy knowing that little detail.

"It's not Cristina," Elliott said, his tone a lot softer. He really needed her to be calm. "Maybe it's one of the nice ones." She winced, and Elliott realized he was still gripping her arm rather tightly, so he released her, raising his palms, "There's only one way to find out."

At Helena's lack of response and sulky silence, he turned to Kai, "Take us to them."

"Of course, My lord."

Elliott raised his eyes and spied around, looking for the flag with the bronze lion in a field of yellow. It was finally time to meet with another Westergard.

* * *

**+++I don't remember if the bear from Brave just disappears after dying, let's pretend it didn't, and they just made it into hideous decoration, yeah?**

**++Someone requested treasure planet, so Mr john silver was the guest for this chapter lol. if anyone has a character they'd like to request, do share! i can't promise they'll be in, but i will sure try, as long as their appearance makes sense for the story.**

**+writer's block is not completely over, but i got inspired for this one and, yeah, i had to make it nice and long to speed things up. i think it's the longest ever. hopefully nothing is confusing! **

**your support means a lot and reviews make my day, so please tell me what you think so far!**

**aaaas always, thank u for reading!:)**


	9. Chapter 8

● Helena ●

Helena frantically tried to think who was aboard the ship as they neared it. The princess dragged her feet, trying to delay the inevitable. She racked her brain, trying to think _which one_ of her darling sisters was just mere meters away.

The first one she discarded was Astrid. Their queen wouldn't be bothered with something like this. That also meant it was not Maddy, Astrid's right-hand wouldn't leave her Majesty's side to deal with this kind of situation. Cecile was bedridden and sick, so that was a certain _no_.

Helena checked the next ones on her mental list. Number four and five... The twins? Emilia and Olivia? That sneaky duo who seemed to share a brain? While Sonja and Cristina were also a set of twins, they were completely different, only sharing the same blonde hair. Their body type, their personalities, everything else was unique. Emilia and Olivia, though, they were copies of each other. Olivia was a little chubbier, her features a little rounder, but besides that they both had the light auburn hair and the same shade of blue eyes. Those two were inseparable, their obsession went so far that they had married twin boys to be even closer. Helena didn't particularly care for them, and she wouldn't mind if they were the ones aboard the ship. They were more like weird aunts than sisters to her.

Number six was... a bastard. The first child out of wedlock her father had with a beautiful foreign woman. _Daria_ had been the product of that affair. Helena hadn't yet been born to witness it, but it was said her Lady mother had made things very difficult for little Daria. That mistreatment had made Daria distant from her royal roots, up to the point where she packed up and left altogether. Helena hadn't seen her in years, the last time had been during Astrid's coronation. So, yeah, it was _extremely unlikely _that Daria was aboard that ship.

Next was Sophia, a legit Westergard, the same age as Daria but she grew up with the perks of not being a bastard. Helena remembered little of young Sophia, since most of her sisters had been fully grown by the time she was born. But what she did remember was Sophia's passion for the theatre and acting. She'd landed a rich husband thanks to that. The important thing was; could she be aboard the ship? Perhaps. Sophia did enjoy traveling to Corona on occasion.

Katherine was the eighth sister, and Helena clung to the hope that it was her. The sister that had taught her to sword fight, who didn't take shit from anyone. That was Helena's best chance. If Katherine stood up for her, Elliott would _have to _see there was some good in the Westergard family. She prayed it was _not _sister number nine, _Rowena_, because that insane woman was the opposite of what she needed right now. Luckily it was very unlikely that she would be around Corona, last Helena heard Rowena had been forbidden from ever returning to the kingdom after an incident involving a sun flower a few years back.

Her list of siblings was running out, as was her time. They were almost on the gangway, she could touch the smooth wood of the ship if she wanted to. Okay, okay, after Rowena there was... another lovely set of twins. Cristina and Sonja, the polar opposites. Helena had convinced herself that since it was not a military ship, Admiral Cristina was not aboard, and that gave her incredible peace of mind. Sonja was useless, and she would not be convincing anyone of Helena's good heart, but she was beautiful and soft-spoken and maybe they would take pity...

And lastly, number twelve, Johanna, Helena's dearest sister and also a bastard. She was positive the little bookworm could talk her way out of anything, and maybe she'd to the same for her youngest sister. Yes, it would be nice to have Johanna here, by her side.

The four of them, Elliott, Andy, Krista and herself stopped at the bottom of the gangway, waiting for the visitor to descend. Helena's heart leapt to her throat when she saw a mop of black moving at the top of the ship.

Black hair...?

_No_. _Please not Rowena, gods, please don't let it be Rowena_.

Johanna also had black hair, but hers was long and shiny. The one she'd spotted just then had been short and curly and _please not Rowena_. _I'll take Sonja, even Emilia or Olivia just __**not Rowena**_**.**

"Any idea who it could be yet?" Elliott said, barely above a whisper. He was standing strong and tall, his diplomatic mode _on_. All business-like. Andy was trying to copy his brother's stance, but his anguished face annulled the effect. Krista had her arms folded, and Helena could feel the brown eyes glaring at her from the corner of her eye.

Helena tried to answer, but her voice wasn't working. All that came out was a wheeze. Her eyes couldn't possibly go any wider. _If it was Rowena, if she's up there_...

The first to step down was a large man with olive skin and dark hair, carrying a bunch of luggage. Helena's mind raced; was he carrying Rowena's books and herbs and all that garbage she used to make potions? Her hand twitched near her hip, hovering over a sword that was not there. Krista glared pointedly at this; she had noticed. Helena ignored her and clenched her hand into a fist, trying to slow down her heart which was probably very near cardiac arrest. She took deep breaths as the man grinned at her as if they were old friends.

"And now," Kai, Elliott's servant, announced, "May I present to you..."

Helena held her breath, waiting for her nightmare of a sister to climb down that gangway. Rowena. _Rowena_. She could almost _see her_ smiling with that shark grin of hers, with a smug look and a "_What trouble have you gotten yourself into, child_?"

Kai cleared his throat. "... Sophia Westergard of the Southern Isles."

Helena didn't mean to, she really didn't, but the huge breath she exhaled when the seventh sister appeared at the top of the gangway just escaped her. From the deepest pit of her soul, the relief she felt was beyond anything and she was just so _so glad_.

Sophia had dyed and cut her hair, but it _was Sophia alright_. All skinny and pointy features, her sharp eyes and red lips smiling as she approached them. Her sister had had image issues when she was younger, the palace staff tried to hide it as best as they could, but Cristina's loud mocking of their "skeleton sister" had not helped Sophia's self-esteem growing up.

"Helena," she said in her sing-songy voice. _Not Rowena's raspy growl, but Sophia, SOPHIA_.

"Oh, _gods_," Helena was literally overcome by emotion, and it was embarrassing, but she did not care. The moment her sister's fancy shoes stepped on the dock Helena had thrown her arms around her sister's bony frame, so glad someone from home was here.

She had not realized how lonely she'd felt the past few days, how much it actually hurt. Helena obviously deserved it, but still. She was just a young girl! She had been ambitious, and arrogant, and all of that had blown up in her face. Sophia was far from perfect, but right then it felt like she was a raft from the sea Helena had slowly been drowning in.

Sophia pulled back a minute later, an confused smile on her face, "That's new!"

True- Helena hadn't been very affectionate towards any of her sisters, save Johanna, but the comfort Sophia's presence brought was almost ridiculous. It felt like someone was on her side, and she wasn't surrounded by only enemies anymore.

"Princess Sophia," Elliott, ever the polite one, bowed his head and Andy followed suit, mumbling his welcome.

"King Elliott! And prince Andy, too!" Sophia quickly dropped into a curtsey, and she gestured at her companion, "Kronk! You stand before a King!"

Kronk dropped her sister's luggage clumsily as he lowered himself to one knee. "Ri-ii-ight!"

One of the bags bounced off the wood and landed on the water beside the ship with a _splash!_

"I got it, I got it!" Kronk yelled, and before anyone could react, he'd jumped off the dock to join the luggage. He emerged seconds later, holding up the dripping bag, "Got it!"

Sophia cringed but hid it quickly with a smile at Elliott, "Forgive my companion, Your Grace. He's not the brightest, but he means well. Anyway... thank you for having us in the beautiful Arendelle! I only wish the circumstances were different."

Elliott raised a hand, "You must be tired from your journey. Please, join us at the palace for a meal and some rest. We can talk tomorrow."

"That sounds splendid, thank you!" Sophia clapped her hands together before lowering them to grasp Helena's hand on her own. The thirteenth princess was surprised, but did not pull away. With her free hand, she snapped her fingers, "Kronk!"

"I'm coming m'lady!" the man was soaked to the bone, but he still managed to gather all of her sister's belongings very efficiently. Elliott's expression was neutral as he turned around, followed by Kai and his abomination of a snowman that they called General Winter.

Helena narrowed her eyes as Andy quickly caught up to his brother and started whispering furiously at him, Krista not far behind. _How annoying_. She wondered what Andy was so unhappy about. Like _this _was an inconvenience for _him_. _Ugh_, if only his silly blonde girlfriend hadn't interfered, she would be on a ship and on the way out of here right now.

"You're scowling, dear," Sophia said pleasantly, hooking her thin arm around Helena's, like they were just taking a leisurely stroll around Arendelle. "You'll have wrinkles by the time you're my age!"

The unlikely group traveled towards the palace. Elliott at the front with his brother, Krista, Kai and the snowman. Helena followed behind with Sophia in arm, keeping a distance more out of annoyance than from respect. Kronk walked behind them, humming to himself a song in Spanish. Helena wasn't sure, but his accent sounded from South America.

"I don't _care _about wrinkles! I- I... Sophia, what's going to happen?" _what's going to happen to me? _Helena wanted to scream, "What are we going to do?"

"A '_how are you, sister_, _how is your husband, is everything well_' wouldn't hurt, you know." Sophia said, as she canted her head to the side to try and see the gates of the palace. "As for your... _situation_, don't worry. Astrid has it figured out," her sister lowered her voice, and Helena had to lean in to listen, "I just need you to tell me _exactly _what happened here. Leave no detail out, and do not sugarcoat things. You can be completely honest with me. You _must_."

"It's... it's really bad. What I did..." Helena would have groaned out loud if there had not been anyone else present. It almost gave her a headache to think about. And when she did, it was almost as if she were someone witnessing it from above. Like it had happened to someone else.

There they would be, in the dark... the only light coming from the fireplace. Andy would be laying there, half-dead, his hair white like the snow outside. The snow outside that was becoming a storm with each passing second. He would ask her to kiss him, and she would, but nothing would happen, and then...

"...it's unforgivable," Helena forced her eyes shut, shoving the memory to the back of her mind. If it was terrible for her she could scarcely imagine what _Andy _felt when thinking back on that awful event. The betrayal, the cruelty, just... _everything_..._horrible horrible horrible_.

"Oh, Helena," Sophia squeezed her arm. "There are many unforgivable things. I doubt that whatever it is you did is one of them."

"You have _no idea_," Helena almost snarled, but tried to keep her temper in check. Having Sophia against her was the last thing she wanted. She quickly fixed her tone, "I... I will tell you. In private."

Sophia nodded, "Good. This is how this is going to play out... I am the caring sister, and you are a saint before my eyes, no matter the wrongs you have committed. Almost like a blindsided mother. _You_ are the ashamed child who very deeply regrets their actions, yes?" _Oh_, Helena had not missed _this_ kind of shit from her sister. How she would pretend her life was a role, and it had to be played out exactly how she wanted it to. No wonder she had been so touchy-feely and nice. _She was playing the caring sister part_.

When they were younger Sophia would just order everyone around in a similar way when they played pretend, "_Emilia, you'll be the kitchen maid who loves tomato soup! No- Olivia can't be your long-lost daughter. No! Olivia is the wind miller's wife. Shut up. Cristina, you're the girl with a sense of duty who joins the army disguised as a man. Why you? Just look at your man-shoulders_!"

Helena had no love for her sister's game back then, and she had no love for it now. In those stupid games, she almost always ended up being the _dog. _They went as far as to lock her in the kennels once! Sure, Sophia could act her way out of anything, her manipulation was well-known. Helena simply did not want to mix playing a role with her life on the line.

"And remember- I need complete honesty from you."

_Great_.

● Andy ●

Andy didn't know why, but he felt like he was being stalked by very dangerous creatures- _which he kinda was_. The Westergards walking behind them were like two lionesses; honoring the animal on their flag most likely. It felt like they would pounce any minute, and tear off his face, and-

"I don't like this, I don't trust them, _I don't like them_," blowing off steam by complaining to Elliott helped, if only a little. Helena's sister, this _Sophia_... she was weird. She tickled Andy wrong. She was pretty, but in a scarecrow-sort of way. She looked incredibly thin, and her smile was like perfectly placed. It reminded Andy of watching people acting on a play. He wondered if this sister was a big fan of the theatre. "Have I mentioned that _I don't like this_?"

"I _know_. You've only said it, like, two or _seven times_. That's enough." Elliott sighed. "I can't just throw them both in the dungeon. Sophia is our guest, and we will be gracious to her."

Andy opened his mouth to very loudly voice his opinion, but Krista's warm fingers around his mouth stopped him from doing so. "Elliott's right, Andy. You can't be rude to the sister just 'cause Helena did something shitty- _bad_! Something bad." The ice harvester glanced nervously at Elliott, as if he would reprimand her for cursing.

He pried the blonde's fingers away, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just don't unleash another ice storm when she betrays our trust after being _gracious _to her."

Elliott actually seemed to consider Andy's words for a moment before calling Kai closer, "I don't want this ship leaving without my say-so. Let the dock master know."

"Right away Your Grace," Kai bowed and left.

"Still not happy," Andy remarked, trying not to pout but failing.

"You're never happy," Krista teased, bumping her hip against his and almost making the prince lose his balance.

"Yeah?" he grinned back, and just for a moment allowed himself to lower his guard. He threw an arm around her, "Well, I'm happy now."

Andy's face went tomato-red when Krista pressed a kiss against his cheek, "Good. You deserve to be happy."

"You kids stop that," Elliott's amused laugh only helped to make his face even redder, "We're here."

Andy's happy moment plummeted.

_Great_.

* * *

Andy had thought speaking to Krista's uncle earlier that day had been uncomfortable.

It was _nothing _compared to having dinner with the Westergards.

Sophia did most of the talking along with a painfully polite Elliott. Andy had to admire this wonderful skill his brother possessed. There was _no way _Andy would have stayed so civil around Helena's family, after everything she had done. Then again, as far as he knew, Sophia knew nothing of Helena's treason. And so they dined with them.

Krista made the affair fifty times more bearable, considering Helena was sat _right across _from him. Luckily she didn't look at him, or try to start any sort of conversation. Once or twice she'd look up sharply at something her sister said, but quickly went back to staring at her salad plate. She also shot annoyed looks Krista's way every now and then, most likely remembering her failed escape plans.

Sophia stressed the fact that her sister was young at that she was bound to make mistakes; Elliott said the matter would be discussed until tomorrow. Andy wondered if Elliott was offended that the Southern Isles had sent Sophia; it _felt _pretty insulting to the prince that they would send the _seventh _person in line and not someone more... up top. Whatever, a representative was a representative, right?

Sophia was being rather amusing with her stories about the Southern Isles; everything she said was in a positive light. Andy knew better, from the things Helena had told him during their walk in the rose garden on coronation day. Everything was not as pretty as Sophia was painting it, she was probably trying to get in Elliott's good graces.

"We had lots of fun growing up," Sophia was saying, "Thirteen of us- can you imagine? So lively. What fun times we had!" Helena snorted into her glass of wine, something the princess should probably not have been drinking, but nobody stopped her. Andy himself had been drinking a little more than he was used to, just to get through this gods damned dinner. "I can't imagine my life without any of my sisters! Did you and Prince Andy have a good relationship growing up, Your Grace?"

Andy took a gulp of wine to avoid answering the question, so Elliott took it, an awkward smile on his face. "We had... good times, bad times... all brothers do." _No times at all_, a tiny part of Andy that was still salty over his brother's rejection for years piped in. _Stop_! They _did _have good times, before the accident...

"I agree. We were so close, more like best friends than sisters if I'm being honest!" Sophia said. Helena drained her glass of wine, shaking her head ever so slightly. Her sister's blatant lies were clearly bothering her. "Helena here, being the youngest and all, she always had a hard time fitting in... The age gap was large with some of us. Always looking to impress us! Isn't that right, dear?"

"_Yes_," Helena's words were so strained Andy imagined an invisible knife pressed against the princess' throat, forcing her to agree with whatever her sister said.

Sophia patted Helena's shoulder fondly, "Sometimes, when trying to get our attention, she did some silly things. Things she did not mean. Remember when you flipped over Rowena's potion over yourself? Your skin was bright blue for a week!"

Krista snorted a laugh and Elliott chuckled- Andy's mouth twitched at best. Helena's face was bright red, making her freckles stand out. _Ah, yes, embarrassing sibling stories_. Sophia could've passed for Helena's mom, if she'd had her at like...fifteen. The age gap was really big. The seventh princess was older than his brother. Andy didn't want to admit that he was enjoying the story, so he told himself he was enjoying Helena's humiliation instead. But that didn't feel right either.

"Reminds me of Andy," Elliott raised his glass in his brother's direction.

"Hey!" Andy, more tipsy than angry, threw a chunk of bread at his brother's head that missed him by miles. Krista laughed the hardest, followed by Sophia's graceful laugh. Helena was pretending to be busy with her soup, not cracking a smile. It appeared they were on the same page, refusing to laugh at the other's expense. _Fine_. Not acknowledging each other at all was _fine_ by him.

Andy tuned them out as their conversation changed to friendly politics. He still wasn't sure _what _Sophia was trying to accomplish with all this sort of talk. Under the table, Krista held his hand, quite honestly giving him the strength he needed to get through his fake dinner.

Tiring of Elliott and Sophia's small talk, Andy reached out to grab some bread- which proved to be a terrible mistake- as Helena was doing the exact same thing, and their fingers brushed.

"_Gah_!" Andy pulled back his hand immediately, like he'd been electrocuted. Helena withdrew her hand as well, a pained expression on her face. Their eyes met. The last time he'd looked into that pair of hazel eyes had been when she'd left him on that study, dying and helpless...

"_May I be excused_," Helena didn't wait for Elliott's consent, and her words hadn't been said in a question, but she stood up anyway, making the chair scrape loudly as she pushed it back. She forced her eyes away from Andy's. Was that... shame on her face?

Before Elliott could awkwardly explain that _no_, _you can't wander around by yourself_, Sophia stood up as well, "Me as well, Your Grace. I'd love to catch up with my sister, if you don't mind. Kronk and I will see that she gets to bed."

"Ah, well... given the circumstances, there will have to be a guard outside the door," Elliott was apologetic, "But you may sleep in the same room if you'd like. Just- with the guard."

"I understand. It's fine." Sophia Westergard flashed one last smile before grabbing Helena by her forearm, "Come, sweet sister."

Helena shook her sister's hand off, her face flushed. It was not a soft flush at all; it was hard and red and bricklike. Was she drunk, or upset? Both? Andy couldn't tell. Elliott's icy blue eyes frowned slightly at the princess' state, mild concern clouding his face. "I look forward to our talk tomorrow," he said evenly.

"Kronk, help her up the stairs, would you?" Sophia called the large man over. He came obediently and guided Helena; she couldn't quite shake him off as easily as she'd shaken off her sister. "Thank you for everything, King Elliott," Sophia said, and seconds later the trio had disappeared up the spiral staircase.

Once the three of them were alone, Andy cackled and tipped his head back, finishing the last of his wine. "Well! That was a _disaster._"

Elliott slumped back against his chair like a deflated balloon, "You can say that again."

* * *

**+++Okay gang I haven't decided about Helsa yet (Elliott+Helena) bc it's a problematic pairing and all but... I want opinions on this. **_**Tell me in a review what you think of them together**_**. If you don't speak up, it's going to happen if the majority wants it. If you do not express your disapproval for the pairing **_**now**_**, you can't complain later. It's like the people that don't go to vote on elections, and then complain about the results yknow?**

**Regardless...- just, keep in mind I'm the author, and whatever I decide is endgame. I'll be taking some executive decisions if no one speaks up. You can love it- or hate it, and that's okay. I just want to know what you guys think. Personally I think they have chemistry and that it could work, but eh...**

**++ Ah, also, I've updated the first 'chapter', the Princess Guide, now complete. Changed things up a bit, and as you know, that's just there if I'm ever not clear enough and to avoid confusion.**

**+With that out of the way, updates should be more frequent. **

**As always, thank you for reading!:)**


	10. Chapter 9

● Helena ●

"_Hey_!"

Sophia had chased her up the stairs, and it brought memories from childhood Helena had worked long and hard to bury to the back of her mind. Kronk was following her meekly after she'd threatened to push him down the stairs if he continued to touch her. Sophia looked a lot less good-natured now that they were alone. Good, she should show her true colors instead of acting over them.

"Oh, right, I forgot. I can't even have _one second_ to myself!" Helena's words slurred a little at the end. She shouldn't have drank the wine that fast. The sweet liquid hadn't stopped Sophia's annoying stories, it had just made them more bearable. Her sister was closely followed by an Arendelle guard.

Sophia quickly caught up to her and shoved open one of the guest bedrooms, "Get in there, dear. We're going to have a little _talk_."

Helena shook her head stubbornly, "I don't want to talk to you!"

Sophia tried to push her inside, but the younger princess wouldn't budge. More memories from her troubled childhood flooded her mind as she resisted her sister's shoves. Finally, Sophia sighed in irritation, "That's unfortunate... for you. _Kronk_!"

"Sorry little Lady," Kronk lifted her right off her feet like she weighed nothing. Helena yelped and kicked her feet, very much like a brat, but it didn't compare to the man's strength. He placed her down inside the room and quickly backed away as Sophia joined them, shutting the door behind her. The guard that had been with her was probably stationed outside.

"You're going to stop this childish attitude right now and tell me what the hell you did to these people, Helena." Sophia peeled her gloves off as she glared at her younger sister. "From the beginning."

Helena ignored every single word out of her sister's mouth. "_Why _did you have to bring up the blue skin? That was _so_ humiliating, Sophia!"

Faster than such a skinny body should be able to, Sophia crossed the room and grabbed Helena's arm in an iron grip. Helena winced, but her sister's eyes were furious now.

"They have to see that you're human! They've probably written you off as a monster." Sophia's grip tightened, "It's important that they see that you're a human, just like them, and that you're bound to make mistakes! If they distance you away from your humanity, it will be all the more easy to condemn someone that they see as a monster. Telling silly childhood stories like that... they show that, all in all, you're still just a kid."

Helena jerked her arm away, hating that word. _Monster_. That's what she'd called Elliott back when she was on the study with Andy. '_Your monster brother_.' How the tables had turned. Now _she _was the monster. Helena wiped her nose with her sleeve in a very unladylike way, "You know about Elliott, right? The curse?"

"Johanna sent me a message. It reached me before we arrived... so yes. I wouldn't have believed it, you know. Elliott seemed perfectly normal, but then... that snowman," Sophia grimaced, probably thinking about the unnatural creature. "That thing with the sword? It _moved_!"

"It also _talks_," Helena's mind wandered to a certain ice dragon she had defeated not too long ago. The thing could be dead... or still lurking the North Mountain. She didn't know, she had no way to. "Elliott has some incredible power."

"I know. Astrid feels threatened by that." Sophia raised her eyes to the ceiling, as if there was something written there for her to see. "Gods help us all if this gets out of hand." The words sent a chill down Helena's spine. Astrid could be ruthless when she wanted to.

"Anyway..." Sophia glanced at her youngest sister, her smile more collected, "Let's calm down. Take a seat... yes. Good girl. Now, tell me _everything_." Sophia sat down across from her sister with a fancy coffee table between them. She gestured her bone-thin fingers at Kronk, "See if we can have some tea sent up here, please."

"Right away m'lady."

"Go on," Sophia prompted after Kronk had left to ask the guard, "Speak freely, dear. Kronk is no one to worry about. Leave nothing out."

Helena took a deep breath, bunching up her skirt in her hands. This would be the first time she told the story out loud, recounting every single thing. From the beginning, eh...? From the moment she'd left the Southern Isles she'd felt an incredible sense of freedom. She was sad to leave her horse behind, she had Nepe since she it was a foal. Sometimes it felt like the equine was her only friend in the world. But she'd soon left that sadness behind and focused on her motivation for this trip; the available heir to Arendelle.

Her cousin Lucille had let that amazing catch slip away from her a couple of years ago. She had messed up. She'd had Andy wrapped around her little finger, but quickly dropped him in favor of Elliott- who wouldn't even look at her. Helena had been closer, but her ambition had got the best of her in the end and her failure was now worse than stupid Lucille's. Helena wondered if she should leave their dear cousin out of the story.

"Okay, well... I suppose it all started with me getting lost shortly before the coronation started. And then..." Helena closed her eyes, willing for the memory to come back, "... then the boy with the green eyes crashed into me."

* * *

Sophia was a good listener. She only made the occasional comment or snickered on the good parts. She even praised Helena for taking action to care after Arendelle after Elliott went away to the mountain. _Their people love you, that's perfect_ was one of Sophia's comments. She was impressed by the ice dragon, the palace, all of that. Helena wouldn't lie; it felt _good _to show off the good things. She had craved for the approval of her siblings for the majority of her life; she'd never imagined _this _is what it would take. But the dread settled in her stomach the closer they got to... the study.

There her sister got quiet, as did Helena's voice. Saying it out loud was so much worse than thinking about it. Admitting to it was torture. Sophia, being the master of acting, had a flat expression on her face. It made Helena nervous. Sophia only spoke up again after Helena told her about the dignitaries agreeing to go after Elliott because he'd allegedly killed his own brother.

"They bought it? Really? Wow," a proud smile slowly replaced her older sister's previous blank stare, "You have learned a thing or two from me, huh? Did you use something for the tears? Liquid garlic, some onions?"

"They were real," Helena said, and with a tinge of embarrassment she remembered thinking about Sophia on that very moment. She had wondered if her acting had been convincing, if Sophia could have done it better.

"You handled it masterfully, dear. I am impressed." she said. It was so rare to hear praise come out of any of her sister's mouths, Helena couldn't help but feel good. "Did you wait the appropriate seconds after every grief-stricken word? Was the light in that room flattering for the scene?"

And just as fast, Sophia had managed to ruin the moment with her annoying questions. Her sister had barely blinked when Helena had described what had happened in the study, but this dumb part had poked her interest. Helena scowled, "Who cares. The worst is about to come. So I went to check the dungeon, but the king was gone..."

* * *

After the tale was told, silence followed. Sophia's expression was thoughtful. Helena felt like a spike had been removed from her soul, weird as that might sound. Telling the story to another human being, with no censors, no holding back, it was... refreshing? Liberating? Helena didn't know a word for it. Her sister wasn't judging, in fact, she wasn't saying much of anything.

"Well." Sophia looked down at her empty tea cup. Kronk had managed to bring two cups and plenty of cookies to go with the story, but those had barely been touched. Helena's stomach was still rolling from the wine she'd had during dinner. Finally, her sister's eyes landed on hers, "Get some sleep. I'm going to mull this over, and we'll talk tomorrow morning. Early." She exchanged a look with Kronk, who had been silently standing on the other end of the room the whole time. "Be here around five."

"_Five_?" Helena echoed, a little indignantly.

"Six for you. Kronk and I have to... make arrangements," Sophia's smile was playful. She stood up and squeezed her sister's shoulder, "Rest. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Before you talk to Elliott?"

Something dark flickered across her sister's face, "...yes. Before I talk to Elliott."

* * *

Helena barely had five minutes to get dressed before her sister started drilling her with questions. It seemed a good night's rest was all the seventh princess needed to be brimming with energy. The sun was barely out over the fjord, and the kingdom of Arendelle was just so waking up, along with Helena who wasn't a morning person at all. Kronk was fresh and ready at the time he was requested to be, and again he was standing quietly by the sidelines while the sisters talked. The first of her sister's questions almost sent Helena toppling backwards in her chair.

"Are you with child?"

Helena's eyebrows shot up so high they almost reached her hairline. The question was so absurd, for a second she could not understand what the older woman meant. "Are you asking me if I'm _pregnant_?"

Sophia looked her up and down, as if looking for a baby bump, "Yes."

"_Why _would I be pregnant?"

"To secure your position, Helena!" Sophia spread her thin arms dramatically, "If you were bearing the prince's child, then he'd be faced with two options: let you raise his bastard, which would be dishonorable. Or marry you." She pursed her red lips in annoyance, "Did you sleep with him?"

The thirteenth princess' face was on fire. "N-No, I did not-"

Her sister's sigh was exasperated, "That's inopportune. Now you can't trap that one!"

"Oh, _gods_, _excuse me_ for not being a whore like you!" Helena's temper flared faster than she could stop it. It stung even more because it was close to the truth. Sophia had been one of the more... volatile of her sisters when it came to sharing a bed with men. _It's too early for this shit_, Helena lamented.

"Ah, ah, ah," Sophia wiggled her finger like a mother scolding their kid, "Careful there, dear. I'm the only friend you've got in this dump. Call me another name and you'll be on your own."

"I'm sorry," Helena's tone was not sorry at all, but she tried to make her eyes as pleading as possible. Sophia was probably asking these things just to make sure, maybe Astrid had put her up to it. At least it was Sophia asking and thankfully not someone like Cristina. She remembered the immense feeling of relief she'd felt when she saw her getting off that ship, with her dyed hair and her seemingly readiness to fix things.

The seventh princess nodded, accepting the apology. "From what you've told me, things are not as hopeless as our dear sister and queen thought." The mention of Astrid made Helena frown. "It _is _unfortunate that you are not with the prince's child, but we'll work around that." She kneeled in front of Helena, and clasped her clammy hands, "We cannot afford to lose Arendelle. We simply can't. So we're going to make this right." Her blue eyes were so earnest Helena wanted to believe her.

"Now, you said you kissed him. That's good, that's brilliant. It means you at least made an effort," her sister said. "Now, your evil little speech you could have held back... but we'll just blame it on the fear you felt during the heat of the moment... the Elliott thing is serious, but... Astrid will figure something out," she winked, like that empty promise was supposed to be comforting.

Sophia stood up and gestured at her companion, who had been standing quietly by the door. A silent message passed between them, and the man got to work. He quickly grabbed Sophia's folded clothes from the bed and stuffed them back inside her suitcase. Helena's frown deepened. He was packing. "Wait... are you going somewhere?"

"I'm afraid so, little one. I'm going back to the Isles before the sun fully rises." Sophia walked over to the mirror and popped open her makeup bag. Helena was much too stunned to even react, so she stayed on the chair, gripping the armrests. "I was sent to assess the situation. I have assessed it, and I'll go back and report to Astrid what I have learned."

"You were a scout," Helena shouldn't be surprised, but she was. Sophia was leaving her. She'd been handed a tiny bit of familiarity, and it was being taken just as quickly. Her older sister's fingers were swift and precise as they worked on her own face. She applied makeup expertly, and Helena was too dumbfounded watching her hands to do anything else.

"If you wanna call it that," Sophia pulled out a fleshy-like fake nose from the makeup bag and placed it over her real nose. She was transforming herself. Helena had seen it be done twice, and both times her sister had ended up unrecognizable. "I'm sneaking out. And _no_," she said before Helena could open her mouth, "You can't come with me. We need you here, but we'll return. Don't worry. Trust us for once in your life."

One second, Sophia had been a woman in her early thirties. The next her face looked like an old man's, with wrinkles and gap-toothed and everything. Her thin and nicely plucked brows were now thick and specked with gray, even her cheeks sagged. Helena felt unnerved when her sister turned to grin at her, with the face of an old man and the body of a woman, "How do I look?"

Before she could give her a piece of her mind, Kronk pulled out two cans from the suitcase, "_Smelly Garbage _or _Old Dumpster_, m'lady?"

Sophia was by his side in an instant, pulling out rags from the suitcase. She draped them over herself before grabbing one of the cans and spraying it on. Helena's nose picked up the scent almost immediately, and it made her recoil, "_Gross_!" she put a hand over her nose and mouth, trying to stop her eyes from watering, "_What the hell_?"

Sophia took a big whiff of the disgusting smell and sighed, "Ah, nothing like the smell of rotting eggs to make a disguise perfect, wouldn't you agree?" Sophia hunched her shoulders, "I think I'm ready," her voice was perfectly croaky, and Helena was too disgusted by the smell to really appreciate her sister's masterful acting.

Helena ran over to the window and opened it. She filled her lungs with the fresh air and vowed to not return until the smell was completely gone. She sat on the windowsill, listening to Sophia's struggle to find some gloves to cover her hands. It was just gods damn awful that Sophia didn't want to smuggle her out as well, but somehow her sister's words had been reassuring. She would talk to Astrid, and they would fix things... Or they could abandon her.

The nice smell didn't last long. The source of it came bounding to her, her perfumed self reeking of, well, _garbage_. "I have to go now, dear. Don't do anything stupid. Astrid's probably already planned the whole thing. She just needs to know what happened from me, and things will go well, you'll see. Alright?"

She really¸_really _wanted to believe her. Trust would make this so much easier. But Helena could almost taste the abandonment in her mouth. How easy it would be; to just ditch her here with these people.

"Please don't fucking leave me." Helena's voice was soft, and vulnerable. She did not like it one bit, but her sister's early departure hurt more than she wanted to admit. Having a familiar face around here, even if it had been for five seconds, had comforted her a lot.

Sophia sighed, probably remembering the person in the middle of this mess was none other than the youngest of her sisters. The family baby. "It's not forever, dear. This is how it must happen. If you were to come with me, it could mean war," Helena didn't know if her sister was acting, and if she was she was damn fantastic. "So wait. Wait for us. You're not alone." Gloved fingers closed around her chin and she met Sophia's old-man face, but her blue eyes were her own. "You wouldn't believe how much this situation has united us. Everyone's worried."

"_Everyone_?" Helena echoed. Sophia cracked a smile, the yellowing fake denture she'd put on made it creepy and yet it was familiar.

"Everyone worth giving a shit about," she corrected. "So Johanna, Maddy, Sonja- and many others. You can count the hateful ones in one hand, Helena. They don't matter. Keep your chin up," she ordered with more firmness to her voice, "You're a Westergard. Don't let them see you cringe."

_They've already seen me cringe and worse_. But her sister's words did fill her with hope, and she'd learned long ago to hold on to hope for as long as she could. "How are you so sure they're just going to let you leave?"

"Oh, they aren't! That's what my disguise if for, dear. Kronk here will stay behind and keep you company."

"That's not right! You're just going to offend them and make things _worse_," Helena wanted to curse herself for feeling hot tears starting to gather in her eyes. One thing was crying to herself when she was alone, another completely different one was doing it in front of one of her sisters. That was a big _no_.

Sophia scoffed and waved her hand dismissively, "You just tell that Elliott I had to leave on an urgent matter. Tell him it was life-or-death, yes? We _will _return. Three days at most. If I play my cards right and say the correct things, maybe the Queen herself will show her face around these parts."

_What_? She intended to bring Astrid _here_? "How is that a good thing?" the thirteenth princess demanded.

"Our beloved ruler has a... way with words. She can be very persuasive, you know. She will deal with this in her special Astrid way, you'll see," Sophia said. No matter how many assurances she got, Helena was not convinced. At all.

"'_Special Astrid way_,' huh? You mean intimidation and blackmail-"

"Most likely. She'll get this sorted out and that's all that matters."

Helena grunted, getting more frustrated by the minute, "Maybe I should go to trail like I'm supposed to? _Answer for my crimes_ and all of that-"

"_No_!" Sophia said sharply, swiftly cutting her off. "You attempted _regicide_, girl. The magnitude of that... you have no idea how it could affect us. Affect _you_. Perhaps you could get off the hook with the Anders thing, claim he was delirious. But there are witnesses to your attempt against Elliott's life. Too much evidence. You'll be convicted and-" Sophia shook her head and held up a finger in a _final_ way, "We're not having it. We are simply not."

"M'lady, it's time," Kronk said from the door. "The guard's shift is changing, you must leave."

Helena's heart raced with sudden panic. She shot to her feet, "Wait, Sophia, _please_-"

Sophia, or 'smelly old hobo' considering how she looked now, didn't even turn.

"Stay. Put."

And she was gone.

● Elliott ●

"So... let me get this _straight_," Elliott said, his face doing nothing to hide the aggravation he felt after getting word from Helena. He woke up at a decent time, shaved, put on one of his new Edna Mode's sharp suits, dealt with General Winter's morning madness, passed a sulky Andy in the hallway, only to be greeted with the news that Sophia Westergard was gone already. He'd been ready for their meeting, to talk at long last with someone that wasn't Helena or his own family about what had happened, and just...

"Sophia's husband _is suddenly sick_," Elliott said each world pointedly, not bothering to hide his skepticism. "And she had to return immediately... _without consulting with me first_... leaving her ship, and _Kronk_ behind? Really now?"

"I love my brother-in-law very much, Your Grace. It was only right for Sophia to go and be by his side," Helena said with no hesitation. None Elliott could pick up on, anyway. It was almost like she'd rehearsed the words. "She's very sorry, but someone else from the Isles will have to answer for me. They'll be here in three days, at most."

Elliott tried not to be angry, but _he was_. He had been prepared to wait, but then this Sophia had appeared sooner than expected in a way that was almost insolent. And then she'd left just as fast, like she'd never been here in the first place. "...I see."

"It could be Astrid," Helena said, like that was of any consolation. "It's better this way. You can speak King-to-Queen. Your... equal. Not some Princess who's seventh in line. We do not wish to offend."

She was saying the words he wanted to hear, but judging by her face he knew she didn't mean any of it. She looked just as annoyed as he felt about her sister's early departure. The wine from last night seemed to still have a lingering effect on her, Helena's eyes were darker and her words had a harsher edge to them.

"You do not wish to offend," Elliott echoed, for lack of anything better to say. He didn't bother to hide is annoyance. It was just the two of them in his office, the faithful Kronk was standing outside, as was General Winter. So it was just them and a stack of paperwork Elliott should definitely get around to look through, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. The summer festival was getting closer every day, and Elliott was practically drowning on how much it was going to cost. He was probably going to have to ask for outside help, which made him anxious. After his coronation disaster, only a handful of monarchs still wanted to hold relations with Arendelle. He was going to have to think of something.

"We only wish for the best outcome possible," Helena said, still in a monotone-like voice. Like she was being fed every word. Elliott didn't know what Astrid Queen of the Southern Isles looked like, but he could easily imagine a miniature one perched on Helena's shoulder, whispering her the right things to say. Like a little devil.

"That's enough of that," Elliott said, trying hard not to grind his teeth together. "I am not interested in your sister's excuses. You sound like their puppet."

Her face remained neutral. "Is that so?"

"It's their words, not your own. You're reciting lines," Elliott said, forcing his eyes away from that impassive face and to the window. Another sunny day, it seemed. "Repeating all the pretty little words they taught you."

Helena shrugged, joining him in looking out the window. "Pretty little words, pretty little lies. What does it matter? They do what they want, my sisters. I can't stop them, all I can do is hope to stay out of their way as they charge through this life."

Elliott looked back at her face. It had some fire to it now. "Ah, see. Those words are yours."

"Yeah. But it's not something you wanted to hear, is it?"

"I guess not. It doesn't matter." Elliott folded his hands under his chin, "I don't know if you realize it, but every time you speak about them- about your sisters- you're giving me little bits of information. Bits that I'm piecing together inside my head. So, thanks to you- I've got a pretty good idea on their character." _Astrid _to be specific. After Zazu told the story about the Southern Isles, Elliott had been keen on learning more. He didn't want to feel at a disadvantage when he finally met the infamous Astrid.

Helena laughed, dry and forced. "You've really got _no idea_. You met Sophia. Sophia's just a little bird. _Sophia_ is a slice of heaven. _Astrid_?" the princess got a dark glint in her eye, "Astrid is _fire_. _Hellfire_. She will-" Helena cut herself off, as if her puppet strings had been viciously pulled.

"If Astrid is the fire in this analogy of yours, does that make me the ice?"

"It does." Helena didn't need to say it out loud. They both knew; fire melts ice. It cuts right through it and leaves steamy water behind. What could be a respectable glacier of solid ice could turn into a puddle of nothing if the fire burned hot enough.

"I think... that if the ice is cold enough, it _may just _freeze the fire." Elliott let the words hang, let them have their impact on the young princess. He wasn't _just _ice. He was a storm with skin, and no fire burned bright enough or hot enough if a harsh and unforgiving storm was released upon it. The cold eventually got to you. He used to think such power was unstoppable- until Andy. Until Andy's... Andy's act of true love thawed that ice. It hadn't been _fire_, it had been love. And Elliott was pretty _darn _sure Astrid Westergard didn't have much love going for her. So the center of his power wasn't within the Queen's reach... at least he didn't think so.

Helena would have probably rolled her eyes if she hadn't been before a king. Elliott suspected she'd had plenty of practice holding back things like that, since her sisters did not sound like very nice or tolerating people. "Of course, Your Grace."

They had failed to convince each other of anything, so Elliott just shook his head at her as they silently agreed to disagree. "Well. That's all," Elliott said. The silence stretched, bordering on awkward. "As you surely understand, you aren't allowed to leave the palace. If you want to go somewhere, within these walls, it will be with an escort_ and_ checking with me first."

"Wonderful." Helena said, her tone flat.

"General Winter!"

Before the princess could even think to protest, the door swung open and the small snowman came bumbling in. He quickly surveyed the room with his snowy head before trotting over to Elliott's side, "Yes, yes, what is it?"

Elliott gestured at the girl across from him, "You'll be accompanying Lady Helena for as long as she stays with us. You'll be my eyes and ears."

"Eyes and ears," the snowman repeated. He used his index and middle fingers to point at his ice-shard eyes and then point them at Helena in a 'I'm-watching-you' fashion. He then proceeded to pull out his sword for dramatic effect, "Consider it done!"

"_What_?" Helena snapped, "Can't babysit me yourself? Or have some guard do it?"

"You've already proven that guards are no problem for you. As are ice dragons," Elliott added almost without meaning to. It was still incredible to think the eighteen year old across from him had not only maimed, but probably destroyed his Blizzard dragon. Just another reminder of how dangerous she could be. "I'd like to see how you do against my old friend."

Andy had told him the ice-Helena Meltling had been destroyed by General Winter. He hadn't got into details, his brother was still reluctant to speak about what happend in the study, but that was enough for Elliott to trust the General with this task. Meltlings had been vicious snow-monsters he'd accidentally created with his bottled-up feelings of loneliness and resentment, if the General could handle_ those_ surely the real princess would be no problem.

Helena didn't hold back in rolling her eyes before leaving, but Elliott didn't mind at this point. He just smirked as the very annoyed princess curtseyed before leaving the room, General Winter already right behind her. The door was shut for approximately ten seconds before Andy walked in, "Oh, hey. I just...are you busy?"

"Ah..." Elliott's ever-growing stack of unread papers practically glowered at him out of the corner of his eye, but the king decided to ignore it, "No, it's fine, I'm not busy. What can I do for you?"

Andy's face brightened as he pulled out a scrap of paper from his vest pocket and smoothed it over, "I just thought we could continue on with the list."

"The list?- Oh! Of things we _absolutely have to _do." Elliott couldn't help but smile at his brother. The last couple of days had been, for lack of a better word, _crappy_. Both of them could use some fun.

"Yeah, yeah. Krista's... talking to her uncle right now. So..." he suddenly looked anxious. "You sure it's a good idea to leave Helena, essentially,_ alone_?"

"She's not alone. General Winter's keeping an eye on her."

Andy had seen firsthand what the snowman was capable of, even more so than Elliott, so that seemed to calm him. "Oh, okay. Good call. I wouldn't trust anyone else around her, except for maybe you." Andy made a small finger-gun and pretended to shoot Elliott with a _pew_ sound, probably trying to imitate his powers. "You could, like, turn her into an ice sculpture if she tried anything."

Elliott grimaced. Not too long ago, _Andy himself _had been deathly close to becoming an ice sculpture. "Poor choice of words, brother."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." The prince ran a hand through his hair, a deep sigh escaping his lips, "We shouldn't... dance around what happened. We... should...talk. About it."

Elliott suddenly felt uncomfortable, self-conscious even. "Oh?"

Probably sensing Elliott retreating back into his shell, Andy quickly waved his list in the air, "We could play twenty questions! Maybe that'll help? Help us talk, I mean?"

"That's on your list? 'Play twenty questions'?"

"It's either that or we could try baking a cake," Andy frowned at his list, "...I'm not that great at baking..."

Wanting to avoid a house fire at all costs, Elliott agreed. "Twenty questions it is! Do you want to sit down? Or remain standing? Or-"

"I'm not gonna sit down! That would feel like an interview... let's just... lay down. Right here. On the carpet."

If it had been anyone else suggesting that, Elliott would probably have declined. But it was Andy. He owed him this. They would be 'stargazing' at the wood panels on the ceiling, if nothing else.

"This is not weird at all," Elliott left the comfort of his chair and lowered himself down on the soft carpet. The pile of paperwork at his desk was screaming at him silently, but again Elliott decided to ignore it. Andy's happiness was more important than a stack of paper.

"It's kinda nice. Like when we were little, looking at the Northern Lights?" Andy lay down as well. "Okay... who goes first?"

"I'll let you do the honors," Elliott sighed and tried to pretend he was not a grown man laying down on the carpet of his office. Instead he tried to channel his younger self, the one that had been a fearless snowman builder that enjoyed playing with his little brother. "Ask me anything."

* * *

● Maddy ●

"... not as bad as we thought, all things considered."

Silence settled over the Council of Thirteen- council of Twelve, as of right then. The chairs on the council room were arranged on a 'U' shape, with Astrid at the middle. To her right was Maddy, and to the left was Cecile, strapped to the chair. Normally the third princess wasn't allowed out of her room, with her sickness and all, but Astrid had summoned _all _of them. Even _Daria_ had shown up, she hadn't been seen around these parts for _years._ The last chair to the right was empty, almost hauntingly so.

All thirteen sisters had made it thus far in life. Some of them had had close calls with death- got some scars to show for it, but no fatalities. But now their youngest was in danger. Sophia had just finished recounting her visit to Arendelle and they were all waiting on their Queen's verdict. Maddy didn't like the look on Astrid's face. It spelled W-I-C-K-E-D.

"...I suppose we have no choice," Astrid spoke finally. She raised her cold eyes to meet each and every single one's gaze in the room. "I'm leaving for Arendelle." She settled to look into Cristina's equally icy stare, "Ready your fleet, Admiral. If things don't go as planned, I want our full naval power waiting behind the fjord."

Cristina smirked with her shark grin, "I thought you'd never ask, sis."

* * *

~**Fun fact before the real author note**~** The name of Hans' horse is Sitron which means Lemon, so Helena's horse is Nepe which means turnip. idk just throwing that out there :p **

**++ Well, I asked for opinions and opinions I got. Wow! Thanks to everyone who sent a review regarding Helsa, it was very interesting. From what I read it was pretty equal... but I'll stick to the plot I had in mind from the very beginning, I think. I've taken what everyone said into consideration and... it's **_**not going to be Helsa**_**, for now. We'll just have to see how it plays out with the idea I had before starting the sequel. It could happen, but as of right now- rest easy, it's not going to be a thing, even if it feels like I hint at it or whatever, it's **_**not**_**. I'll let you all know if this changes.**

**\+ But someone brought to my attention; does Elliott **_**need**_** a partner? I wouldn't mind leaving him single, honestly, but I'd like to know opinions. I'm garbage at writing romance anyway. but I know some people really like that kinda thing so I could try.**

**aaaaaas always, thank you for reading!:)**


	11. Chapter 10

●Maddy●

_Maddy didn't like the look on Astrid's face. It spelled W-I-C-K-E-D._

_"...I suppose we have no choice," Astrid spoke finally. She raised her cold eyes to meet each and every single one's gaze in the room. "I'm leaving for Arendelle." She finally settled to look into Cristina's equally icy stare, "Ready your fleet, Admiral. If things don't go as planned, I want our full naval power waiting behind the fjord."_

_Cristina smirked with her shark grin, "I thought you'd never ask, sis."_

"Is that wise?" even if Johanna was twelfth in line and not a _pureblood_, she didn't fear voicing out her opinions in front of the council. And Johanna was a very, _very _opinionated young lady. "That's practically an act of war. If it backfires, our entire navy will be at risk. I doubt they would know how to handle retaliation from King Elliott."

"Shut up, bastard. It's not going to _backfire_. My men are _perfectly capable _of handling _anything_," Cristina growled, looking quite offended.

Johanna didn't flinch. They were _all _used to Cristina's aggressive nature, and Johanna to being called a bastard. She raised a dark eyebrow, sarcasm etched to her every feature, "Is that so? How would your men feel about catching a _blizzard _to the face? Just _how _sturdy are our ships?"

Cristina tensed up like a cat, readying her claws, but Astrid held up a hand to placate her. The tenth princess stopped herself from saying anything, but her face was murderous. Can you say A-N-G-E-R I-S-S-U-E-S? Astrid addressed Johanna, "It's a risk we are going to have to take. It's more of a... precaution. I can handle King Elliott, I think. He'd be a fool to refuse my offer."

"That offer being...?" Katherine, sitting tall and proud in her council chair, asked. They didn't allow weapons during these meetings after an incident a few years back with Rowena and Olivia, but from her body language Maddy could tell the eighth sister missed having her sword at her hip.

"Nothing you all should concern yourselves with," Astrid said. Immediately there was booing and hissing, a few curses. "Enough! I'm not going to share my strategies with the lot of you."

"But you'll trust them to _her_?" Daria, usually so quiet, sneered. She pointed a long black fingernail at Maddy.

Astrid shrugged, "Madeleine has proved herself. She has remained by my side. She didn't run _off_," she glared at Daria, "She has never refused any of _my orders_," that time the glare was directed at Cristina. "She's _loyal_," the queen finished by narrowing her eyes at Katherine. "All in all, she has earned my trust."

It made Maddy feel extremely uncomfortable to have her siblings' envious eyes on her. Astrid didn't throw her trust around like it was nothing. Years upon years of enduring Astrid' every whim had earned her this place. The kind of control her eldest sister had over her had literally been earned with _blood_.

Sonja's face was one of dumb admiration, while her twin had a murderous smile. Daria looked bored again, probably regretting having answered her sister's call to come back and be on the council. Emilia whispered something into Olivia's ear and they scowled with their identical faces. Overall, none of them looked happy about Astrid's decision.

Maddy lowered her eyes, not wanting to look at any of them. She didn't feed on their envy, like Johanna did. She didn't enjoy the spotlight, like Sonja did. She just wanted to be left alone with Josef and live a quiet life, but of course that had never been an option. Not when she was second in line to a queen without heirs.

"If what you're saying is true," Katherine said, this time to Sophia, "Helena has agreed to answer for her crimes and do her time. Why don't we just let her?"

"Helena doesn't have to answer for anything," Emilia answered instead. "She looked after the people after that king went mad. He froze the _entire fjord_! She then ventured out to find the prince, putting herself at risk."

Her twin Olivia rolled her eyes, "Are you ignoring the part where she betrayed the prince and left him to die?"

Emilia scoffed, "Did that prince _seriously think _Helena would love him after a few short days? She was under no obligation to be the one to provide the _true love's kiss_. At least she kissed him."

"Then she tried to kill the king himself," her sister shot back.

"The king himself is a sorcerer! Who would trust him?" Emilia said with an exasperated groan. "He kept his powers a secret for twenty _years_! He can create ice _monsters_. I'm surprised the people are warming up to him."

"_'Warming up to him_'?" Daria snickered, "Now, there's a poor choice of words."

"_You know what I mean_!"

Emilia and Daria started to yell at each other from across the room, with Olivia backing Daria up. Cristina laughed maniacally as Sophia tried to silence them. Cecile mumbled nonsense. It seemed the room was split between those who thought Helena was innocent, and those who didn't.

"How about we just get rid of her?"

An abrupt silence rolled over the Council of Thirteen, and heads turned to look at the speaker. Rowena. With her raspy voice and careful words. Maddy squirmed in her chair, feeling Astrid grow tense next to her. "What's that, sister?" the queen asked.

Rowena's dark blue eyes, _emotionless _ones at that, seemed sleepy as she spoke. "Helena is a loose end. She has tried to kill a king. Who says she won't try the same thing here, with our queen?"

Maddy felt her throat tighten. She and Helena were just the same, then. They had both... they had both tried to kill the person on the throne, and they had both failed. Her darkest memory threatened to bubble up again, the memory of that knife being dragged down her face. She shut it out quickly and tried to keep her face neutral as Astrid replied.

"Helena has no reason to kill me," she said, in a clear, clear voice. "She is _last in line_, or have you forgotten? My death would do her no favors. In Arendelle she actually had a chance with King Elliott gone."

"She claimed Ander's last words had been their marriage vows," Sophia confirmed. Rowena made a _hmmm _sound, maybe a growl. "No one would have questioned it. _She could have been Queen_."

Cristina clapped her hands, "But she failed, and now here we are. Discussing all this, while _you _keep us in the dark about your plans," she pointed with her chin at Maddy, "All of us except for her."

Astrid rubbed her temples in annoyance, "I grow tired. We'll make final arrangements in the morning." She stood up, "Dismissed." She nodded towards a guard to get Cecile back to her tower.

Everyone began to file out, and as Maddy passed by Cristina's chair, she heard the sly remark from the blonde, "What's this shit? Do I need to get a scar on my face to earn Astrid's trust, too?"

"That would look _so _ugly," Sonja said. Then she realized Maddy was standing right in front of her. "Oh! N-Not on you, Maddy. It gives _you_ character! It would look ugly on _Cristi's_ face, is all I'm saying." She placed a hand on her twins' cheek, "You'd look like a sad pit-bull."

"_Are you calling me a dog_?!"

With a nasty look she left the twins to their bickering. Astrid has thus far not shared her plans with her. Whatever she was planning to blackmail or bribe Elliott with, she had not been kind enough to tell. Knowing her sweet sister it was most likely blackmail, but what? Get the brother to get through to the king? Threaten an attack?

She didn't see Katherine leaning against the doorframe, waiting for her. As Maddy exited, Katherine followed her, easily keeping pace with her, "You don't know what she's planning, do you?"

"My guess is as good as yours," Maddy replied. She'd never paid much attention to Katherine either. She was eighth in line, much more masculine than her other siblings. She was slowly learning that she _should _have been paying more attention.

"I... I feel so responsible," her sister said. She dragged her hands down her face, "I taught the kid how to fight, you know? Put a sword in her hand. Same sword she probably used to try and kill this Elliott."

"It's not your fault," Maddy said. But she remembered Johanna's words a few days ago, _'her fall is our fault'. _It bothered her. Had they, somehow, shaped Helena into the wicked little girl she turned out to be?

"What the hell is Astrid thinking, bringing _Cristina's _armada to their doorstep?" Katherine said. Maddy shushed her, as if their queen had superhuman hearing. She _did _have quite a lot of spies, her _Little birds_, and they were just about the same as super hearing. She didn't know if the words would be considered treason or constructive criticism, she didn't feel like risking it. "This can only end in blood, I'm telling you," the blonde said in a softer tone, but still a very angry one.

"Unless her plan turns out to be brilliant," Maddy said, as they stepped out into the garden. Rows upon rows of carefully planted roses of every color rested lazily in the afternoon sun. Katherine had never been this friendly, let alone talkative. Which meant she probably wanted something.

Katherine offered a sarcastic half-smile, "When's the last time Astrid had a _brilliant _plan?"

Maddy decided against answering and instead she picked one of the roses instead. She didn't know if it had a name, but it was beautiful. Yellow with orange tips. She remembered watching Astrid manhandle her up of tea, and wonder how something so fragile could endure so much. The same went for the flower. Something so beautiful and defenseless being forced into this harsh world. But then she pricked her finger, and... ah, well, even roses had their thorns.

She quickly put her finger inside her mouth and wrinkled her nose at the coppery taste of blood. At Maddy's silence, Katherine seemed to gather her courage for her request, "Anyway, uh... I wanted to ask something of you. If it's not... not too much trouble."

Maddy tilted her head, "Yes?"

"Well Astrid made it pretty clear she's taking only _you_ with her to Arendelle, so..."

She tried not to roll her eyes at that. Just before the meeting with the council, Astrid took her aside and informed her of this. That she would be accompanying Her Majesty so far north. And Maddy, being her faithful subject, had no option but to agree. It was awful because her husband was not allowed to come, Maddy's sanity lifeline would be staying here and she didn't appreciate that.

"... so I was wondering if you could, like... bring Helena some comfort?"

Maddy raised her eyebrow at the strange request, "What?"

The younger girl was taller than her by a couple of inches, and she casted her eyes away, an embarrassed blush creeping up her neck. "I just... I feel so bad. Like I said. It was _I _ who put that sword in her hand. She was _this _big," Katherine gestured with her hand somewhere around her mid-section "and I taught her to fight. To have no mercy, to... to take chances, if she got them. To be ruthless, I..." the blonde sighed, "I don't know. I feel awful."

"You saved her life," Maddy blurted out without thinking. "Sophia said King Elliott created an ice dragon, and Helena fought with it. And she won. _Your _training saved her."

Katherine still seemed uneasy, rubbing the back of her neck, "Still. Could you do that for me?"

Maddy had never in her life comforted another human being. She'd kind of patted Olivia's hair when the chubby fool fell down a stone path and sliced open her knee years ago. She had squeezed Sonja's arm when her little sister had lost her baby. Maddy wasn't made to make others feel better. She could barely handle her own self. If anything, she'd make Helena feel _worse_. "Yes, of course." But she agreed to Katherine's request all the same. L-I-A-R.

A rare little smile appeared on her sister's face. "Thank you."

●Helena●

Helena had found her greatest challenge since being stuck in this hellhole.

Getting rid of that damn snowman.

She'd lost Kronk, just as easily as she'd lost Dr. Sweet a couple of days ago. The poor halfwit was probably still looking for her in the library. But _General Winter_? That thing was like glue, stuck only to her. It appeared the snowman had made it his sole mission in life to be there to aggravate her. It was like playing hide and seek with a hound.

The princess pressed herself against the wall and held her breath. She had tried to distract him back in the gallery with a Joan of Arc painting, and as the snowman had launched into a probably made-up story about the woman in the painting, she slipped away. And prayed he would not find her.

She wasn't really planning on going anywhere, after her escape fiasco she had no desire to go outside anymore. Sophia's fleeting visit had lifted her spirits just as fast as it had plummeted them back down. And now Elliott's pet was following her around to add to her already sour mood.

A whole minute passed, and nothing. Helena relaxed and let her guarded expression become a smirk. The tiny menace was probably still talking to the picture on the wall. _This _was going her way, at least. She wondered if she could scoop up some snacks from the royal kitchen if she-

"Who are we hiding from?"

Helena's scream was probably heard across the entire fjord. _What the hell-?_

"Oi, calm down, you noisy girl! Stop screaming." The snowman blinked up at her with his ice-shard for eyes. Just like that, he was next to her, hiding right beside her. She hadn't heard him at all!

"How are you _here_?!" her voice was still shrill. She wouldn't be surprised if guards ran down the hall, thinking someone was getting murdered.

General Winter stared at her as if she were stupid. "Elliott built me."

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," she rolled her eyes.

"I am not Captain Obvious. I am _General _and I am _Winter_."

She narrowed her eyes at his _well, duh _tone. "Can you teleport? Can Elliott's powers do that?"

"Nonsense. I followed you."

"You couldn't have. I _checked_."

He shrugged his snowy shoulders, "Perhaps your senses aren't as sharp as you think they are."

Was this five-foot-tall man made of snow with a ridiculous mustache seriously offending her? Or trying to? "Besides, you are no match for someone like me! I singlehandedly defeated the Meltlings! All except for _one_," if snowman's could get dark looks on their faces, this one did. "The Blizzard Dragon got the best of me, I'm afraid."

She was about to humor him until his crazy words made sense; _Blizzard Dragon_? She had fought that monster outside of Elliott's ice palace days ago. She had maimed it and defeated it. "I killed the Blizzard Dragon," she told him.

"Don't be foolish, it would have destroyed you. It was massive!" the General brought his arms together and opened them and closed them again and again, imitating the snapping of jaws. "It could've swallowed you up! Ripped yo' head off and leave nothing for the wolves! _Chomp chomp chomp!_"

"I'm twice your size," she said irritably. "I have _actual training _in combat. I handled the overgrown ice cube just fine." She tried to rub it in his face that it hadn't been a big deal, but the fight had been pretty scary. The thing did manage to almost kill her.

He snorted in disbelief. "Sure, sure, whatever you say."

"We could go look for the dragon," Helena said, suddenly getting a glint in her eye. "It fell down a ravine, but it could have survived. I don't know. I cut off its wing."

The small abomination perked up, like a hound catching scent of its prey. But he quickly recovered, "No, no. I do not have permission to let you leave the palace."

"But you could come with me, keep an eye on things," she said. The snowman shook its snowy head, stubborn as ever. She almost growled in frustration. The memory of the Blizzard Dragon had stirred her feelings of wanting to escape again. This time perhaps not across the ocean, but through all the mountains of the fjord. She could live out her days like a wildling, traveling with the snowman freak by her side, until they got so close to the South that the heat would finally consume the small monster and melt it once and for all. Surely Elliott's small cloud above the General's head could not reach such distances and keep it frozen.

She decided to try another method. "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you were _scared _of it, General. You wouldn't stand a chance, even with the beast wingless and all."

If there had been any blood inside the snowman's head, its face would have turned red with fury. "Do not test me, girl. I know what you're trying to do. It is not going to work."

"It's not?" she asked. The snowman stared up at her, and for the first time Helena saw a spark of intelligence in the icy eyes. It reminded her of Elliott's gaze. "Why are you staring at me?"

"You remind me of a Meltling... one of its leaders," he said. "It looked _just _like you... except for the devil horns. And the manly sideburns on its cheeks. I will not take credit for that one's demise, though. In the end it was Anders who melted the wretched creature."

"You keep speaking of these _Meltlings_. I don't even know what they are!"

"Elliott created them. The Blizzard Dragon was one of them. They are created from dark, dark thoughts. They come to life and they are terrible, bloodthirsty creatures."

"Oh... so you're a Meltling too-"

She didn't even get to finish her sentence before she was knocked to the ground by five-feet of pure wrath. The snowman was heavier than it looked. In no time, it had her pinned down and had a wicked sharp ice sword pointed at her throat. She gasped as the cold ice bit into her skin.

"You. _DO NOT_. Call. Me. _Meltling," _it said in a scarily calm voice. Helena felt a pang of fear for the first time. She'd thought this was just some goofy grandfather Elliott had created, not... not _this_. The tone of his voice and the sharp object pressed against her throat, it brought back unpleasant memories from Cristina.

"I'm sorry! Please..." Her face burned with humiliation. Here she was, Helena of the Southern Isles, begging for her life to a lump of talking snow. All because she'd called him a name, a name that seemed to perfectly describe him. Meltling. Had Elliott created a Melting of _her_? It both disturbed her and made her curious. It made her want to ask the king about that. He did not owe her any answers, but if he _had _modeled one of those Meltlings after herself, then she had a right to know, didn't she?

"...Alright." And just like that, he sheathed his sword and offered a snowy hand to help her up, "I _hate _Meltlings, for the record. "

"_Yeah_. Yeah, I can tell."

"Superb! I am glad we understand each other." He raised his thick eyebrows and smirked, like they were best buddies and he hadn't just threatened her life with his stupid ice toy.

She swallowed back her sarcastic reply and accepted his hand. With whatever pride she had left, she said, "Fine. Can we... ugh. Can you escort me to the kitchen?"

The snowman bowed its head, "_That_ I can do."

●Krista●

Krista didn't want to admit it, she really, _really _didn't want to.

But her uncle was just so. damn. nice.

He was likeable, and sweet, like a Labrador puppy, with his long blonde hair and easy smile. Axel had been nothing but kind to her. But Krista's biggest character flaw beside her scathing sarcasm was that she kept grudges. She never forgot when people wronged her, and she never forgave.

The man was trying with all his might to win her back again, and the most infuriating part was that _it was working_. The first to fall to his charm had been Suri, granted with the help of some apples and carrots but still. The reindeer had been quick to betray her. Andy was away in the palace, so Krista had her uncle all to herself.

"... I promise you, Krista, things will be different. _I _will be different."

She gradually tuned out her uncle's words as they traveled up the Little Slip, a small path east of the North Mountain, where he was accompanying her to harvest some ice. She'd been wanting to go to get her mind off things, get some familiarity going, but Axel had just _insisted _he come along.

"...we'll give the papers a look together, eh? See who your mom wanted you to marry and all."

_That _last part made Krista jerk the reins a little, "You're still on that? Uncle, _I told you_, I'm going to marry whoever I want, okay? I... I love mom, but... _no_. She's not deciding for me."

"Now, now, I didn't say it was obligatory or anything. Just... just give the guy a chance, Kris." She shuddered at the nickname. It had been a _very _long time since someone had called her that. "He may be no _Prince of Arendelle_..." she blushed at that. "... but he could be a good lad. Someone you could actually have a chance with."

Yet again, her uncle said the wrong thing. She tried not to grit her teeth too much when she said, "Oh? Are you implying Andy and I- that we don't-"

"Shit! Sorry, that came out completely wrong! I do apologize." He waited for her reply, but her only response was an annoyed grunt. She kept her eyes on the path and urged Suri forward. "I was just trying to say... Anders is a nice guy. But he is _prince_! He is expected to marry a lady, not a..." he trailed off.

"I am so glad you did not finish that sentence," Krista brought the sled- the sled _Andy _had gifted her- to an abrupt stop. She stomped over to the back and pulled out her saw and ice tongs, plus some other tools. Harvesting ice sounded like a wonderful stress-reliever right about now. She glowered at her uncle until it became a glare. "Look, I honestly could not care more about what you think, or what you want. After you abandoned me, I... whatever. Just don't say things you know nothing about."

She _knew, _she dominated the fact that Andy was supposed to marry a lady. A princess. _A Helena_. And it killed her. But so far life had not pointed him in that direction. Fate had brought _them _together. Grumpy ice harvester and lovable prince. She still didn't know how, but they _worked_. What they had, she couldn't possibly explain to herself, much less to her selfish uncle.

Axel gulped, nervously eyeing the sharp tools in his niece's hands. "Trust me, I would never push you into doing anything that you didn't feel comfortable with. I am just saying- looking through your mom's will couldn't hurt a whole lot, now could it?"

Her angry reply was interrupted by a piercing sound that cut through the air and made her ears pop.

_**ROOO-OOO-OOAR!**_

Krista immediately froze. It was a roar, a _familiar _roar.

"What was _that_?" Axel gripped the dashboard of the sled, his dark eyes frightened. From the tall trees ahead a flock of birds flew away, screeching and leaving a shower of feathers behind them.

Suri whined, and bucked her back. Krista finally reacted and dumped her tools back on the sled, then rushed over to comfort her reindeer, "Shh!" The snowy ground shook beneath her boots, a small quake.

Her uncle was almost in hysterics. "_Krista_?"

_**ROOO-OOO-OOAR!**_

The creature emerged from the forest then, all sharp ice and vengeful sapphire eyes.

Krista thought she'd never see the Blizzard Dragon again.

* * *

**++ I'm thinking leaving Elliott single, to stay true to the story and true to Elsa. But **_**we'll see**_**! Nothing is certain :)**

**+20 questions is coming up next chapter, I know some of you were looking forward to that but .. i wanted to get this up **_**pronto**_**, so enjoy! also maybe suggest a question, maaaybe i'll include it? if i can?**

**Thank you for reading!:)**


	12. Chapter 11

_"I'll let you do the honors," Elliott sighed and tried to pretend he was not a grown man laying down on the carpet of his office. Instead he tried to channel his younger self, the one that had been a fearless snowman builder that enjoyed playing with his little brother. "Ask me anything."_

Andy paused for a minute, thinking well and hard about it. He had not been given this chance to ask his older brother anything while growing up. Elliott felt bad for never offering the chance. How many questions must Andy have had? How many went unanswered, for years? Elliott figured at least half of those questions had been violently answered during his coronation party and during the nightmarish time that followed after. With the whole _eternal winter _business.

Finally, Andy spoke.

"Are you happy, Elliott?"

The question clearly caught the King off guard, because it took him a while to answer. It was an easy yes or no answer- _it should be_. But it wasn't. Not for him, anyway. Too many things had happened in too little time. "I'm..._happier_," he allowed at last. "Happier than I was a year ago, anyway. Things... have changed. Clearly." Elliott smiled crookedly, even if his brother couldn't see him as they were both laying on their backs. "Things are better now... how about you?" He asked when Andy remained silent, "Are _you_ happy?"

"I think I am," Andy replied with an uneasy chuckle. "I didn't realize how sad I actually was until you ran off to that mountain. But... like you said. Things _are _better. They _will _keep getting better."

Elliott smiled at his brother's strong optimism. As of right then, things were actually kind of grim. The kingdom's financial situation was tough. The Southern Isles were breathing down their necks with threats- but things weren't completely terrible. Elliott wasn't alone anymore. Neither of them was."I believe it's your turn again," he said. "I kind of returned the question."

This time Andy didn't hesitate, "If you weren't king, what would you like to be?"

"Jeez, Andy, I've never really thought about it." He'd been born to inherit his father's kingdom. From the moment he had any sort of reason, he'd been taught all about Arendelle, about politics, he was handed every tool he'd ever need at an early age. He didn't know anything else, but he'd often thought about it. If he'd been born the baker's boy, he would have been taught a completely different craft. Hey, he could have been the son of an ice harvester, like Krista. His quill and ink would have been an ice-saw and a pickaxe.

"Come on," Andy rolled to his side, propping up his chin with his hand in a very un-prince-like position. "A blacksmith? A farmer? _Oh_!" his brother's face brightened, "An assassin?"

Contrary to what he showed in the North Mountain, Elliott was quite the pacifist. He didn't like fights, and he didn't like bullies. His father had taught him to try to maintain the king's peace at all costs. "Excellent career choices, but I'm afraid not. I think... I think I may have liked being an architect," he confessed.

Andy processed his brother's words for about three seconds before his face broke into a grin, "Yeah, yeah, I could see that! Your place at the North Mountain was incredible. And your sketchbook has some amazing-" the prince clamped a hand over his own mouth, "_Oh_."

"You went through my sketchbook?" Elliott was more surprised than angry, his eyebrows raised. He doodled in his spare time, when he was sad, or stressed- he just poured whatever he was feeling into the pages. Things that back then had been but fantasies- but now they could become realities, his powers had proved that.

"Um... yeah, uh... not exactly," Andy's face flushed with embarrassment. "It's gonna sound really pathetic but- you sometimes ripped out pages, balled 'em up and threw them away," Elliott remembered. He was also quite the perfectionist. No mediocre drawing was allowed to stay with the rest. Sometimes he even tossed them in the fire if he was particularly displeased with it. "So I'd fish them out of the trash, straighten them out and-" he laughed nervously, "Sometimes I colored them."

Elliott sat up, for some reason completely moved be Andy's words. His jaw tightened.

"I, uh... thought about slipping them under your door. I never did. My coloring wasn't very good, and it didn't do justice to your-"

"I'd like to see them," Elliott said. "The drawings of mine you colored."

His little brother opened and closed his mouth, still looking mortified. He didn't say he'd saved the drawings- but Andy just struck him as the type that would. "You... what? Really?"

Elliott nodded. "Really."

"So you don't think it's creepy at all?"

The Ice King laughed, the sound cracking a little. "Andy, it's... _gods_. It means so much. And it also hurts." He was determined not to cry, but his voice was still thick with emotion. "After what I did to you... for so many years... you were still trying to.._._"

It was almost too easy to imagine the young prince looking through the trash of all places for some connection to his older brother. It made Elliott's heart break; but it also made it float. The drawings he salvaged weren't even his best work; but the imperfect ones were perfect to Andy- perfect for him to color, to keep. "I'm sorry for everything," Elliott repeated, for the thousandth time in the last couple of days.

"I've told you; it's forgiven. I'm glad you giving me the _cold shoulder _is over," Andy smiled, dimples and all. "I'll show you my coloring skills some other time, I promise. Right now- it's your turn to ask me something!"

Elliott's smile slowly faded as what he wanted to do now presented itself before him. "I don't have a question at the moment, but... I'd like to tell you something." He took a deep breath, "I don't think I've ever told you _exactly _why I... shut you out."

"To protect me."

"Yes. But the whole story-" Elliott felt his skin getting uncomfortably hot. Remembering the night everything changed, when he shot his brother in the head with his magic- it was easily one of the worst moments of his life. Right beside freezing Andy's heart many years later.

"...Elliott. It's okay." Andy's lips were pressed together. "I know."

This he did not expect. He almost choked while trying to form his next sentence, "W-What do you mean you _know_?"

"After I... came back," _came back _probably meant _when my heart thawed_, "I came back knowing the truth- also, Krista told me some of it. She was there that night, when our parents took me to see the trolls, when my head-" he tapped his forehead, "when Grand Pabbie healed me and took my... my memories. I know, Elliott."

This time the one lone tear did leave Elliott's eye and he quickly wiped it away. This 20 question game took the most unexpected of turns- he never thought this would happen. That so many things would come to light. But he liked the honesty between them- it was very nice. "I hated myself," he was glad they were alone. His voice right then was not worthy of a king. "I hated _them_," he looked down at his hands, referring to his magic.

"_Elliott_, stop, you're making me cry too!" Andy wasn't as ashamed as him to be tearing up. He smiled and wiped his nose on his sleeve. "I was waiting for you to tell me yourself. And you have! ... Sort of." He sat up and grabbed Elliott by his wrists, "Your power is a gift. It backfired on you once a couple of times- but that's okay. It's past us now, yeah? You're going to be the best king ever, magic and all!"

This time Elliott didn't hold back. He took a shuddering breath and pulled his brother into a bear hug.

**Krista**

The Blizzard Dragon actually looked _worse _than the first time Krista had encountered it with Andy atop the North Mountain- when it had chased them out of Elliott's palace and over a cliff.

It looked like the dragon had fought with a tree and lost. Pine tree needles stuck out from its snowy coat, even whole branches. It was missing one sapphire eye, but the one that remained was blazing with fury. The most significant change; it was missing one of its wings, so it hobbled awkwardly as it ran after them, completely off-balance.

The weirdest thing was the thing atop its head. It was a _really _nice crown, with a shiny jewel in the middle. Fit for, well... a king. The crown was made of gold, not ice or snow, so the dragon had obviously got it from somewhere. Krista wondered if the Blizzard Dragon thought he looked pretty.

"What is that thing!" her uncle cried, hanging on to dear life as Suri raced at top speed.

"Not friendly," was Krista's reply as she focused on keeping the reins steady, to stop her hands from trembling. Her eyes widened when she realized something, "We can't go back to back to town! It'll follow us!"

Axel visibly paled. "Then what do you suggest?"

Krista had no useful reply for that. They couldn't take this thing on by themselves, even if it was maimed. She _could _try to cause some damage with her ice harvesting tools, but knowing her luck it would probably fail and the creature would just get madder. For a fleeting second she thought about going to the trolls- but what good would that do? Her family was tough, but she didn't know if they could fight enraged ice dragons, she didn't want to put them in any unnecessary danger.

"The only person that I think would stand a chance is in Arendelle," she said quietly.

"And who is this dragon slayer?" Her uncle's fear was changing to irritation. The dragon wasn't so fast anymore, and they had some advantage- but the steady trampling of the woods behind them reminded them the dragon was never too far.

"King Elliott," she said. She didn't know who had hurt the dragon that bad, she assumed it must've been Elliott somehow. If not him, who else?

Her uncle blinked at her, like he hadn't heard correctly, "_The King_?!"

Krista cried out as the dragon lost its footing and tumbled forward, almost smashing the sled, but Suri was quick enough to jerk the whole thing to the side to avoid becoming a pancake. She gripped the reins even tighter and urged her reindeer to go faster.

"Yeah, His Grace can probably handle this," Krista didn't want to, but they really did not have any other choice. "We need to get it to Arendelle."

Thinking about all the things that could go wrong made her head swim. What if the creature lost interest in following them and decided to attack the village instead? How would Elliott know to come out and help? What if he wasn't even in the palace? She really, _really hoped _she wasn't making a huge mistake.

**Helena**

Helena wasn't about to go around praising Arendellan-things anytime soon. But sweet heavens, did they make excellent krumkakes. Astrid's special cakes didn't compare to the amazing taste of these cake thingys Helena had scooped up from the kitchen after sort of making peace with General Winter.

"If only you had taste buds to experience _this_," she said, slowly nibbling on her third treat of the last few minutes. The kitchen staff had been hesitant about her request for snacks, but eventually they gave her a tray of the leftover krumkakes from last night's dinner.

"If only you had taste to begin with," the snowman shot back. Helena would've rolled her eyes if she'd actually cared about his insult. She was too busy wiping powdered sugar from her fingers against the expensive chair she was lounging in. She wouldn't have dared do something so gross back home, but this was _Elliott's _chair. The princess didn't care about damaging his furniture.

"Ha-ha. Good one!" Helena said drily. "_Stupid talking snowman_..."

The General scoffed, "Well, you're a criminal!"

"Mmm, yeah, that's me. The felon." This time the urge to roll her eyes was too great.

Helena had decided she'd rather coexist with the snowman in peace, she didn't want that stupid ice sword pressed against her throat ever again. So she was keeping her more biting insults at bay. She was never going to imply that he was a _Meltling_, even if he kinda was. If the princess had something strong going for her, it was self-preservation. She learned from her mistakes, and almost never repeated them. This whole hellish experience was one huge lesson she'd never expected.

"Here, have _one_," she shoved a whole krumkake inside the snowman's temple while he wasn't looking. It sunk easily and she pushed until only a tiny bit of the dessert was visible. The snowman's eyes bulged.

"_Oi_!"

So much for not having a death wish.

Laughter bubbled up in her chest. When was the last time she had truly laughed out of pure amusement?

"You are a savage!" General Winter yelled, pulling out the cake with his snowy lips curled into a snarl. The hole was small, like a bullet wound, but Helena could confirm that this thing didn't have a brain. He was hollow inside. For some reason, she found it hilarious.

Helena really wanted to reply, but she was laughing too hard. The indignant look on the snowman's face was just too funny. Her laughter soon died when a group of guards stumbled down the stairs, their faces panicked.

Her heart leapt to her throat, thinking they'd come for her. She was behaving!... Sort of. Was Elliott really-?

"What's the problem, men?" General Winter demanded, turning glare away from her and to the alarmed bunch. Helena inched closer to a suit of armor nearby, brushing her fingers against the decorative sword's hilt. She wouldn't be slicing anyone open because the blade was dulled, but she could still do some serious damage. They weren't taking her anywhere without a fight.

"There's a commotion outside," one of them said. "Something's attacking the village square."

The lankiest of the bunch scratched at his ear nervously, "They're saying it's a dragon!"

Helena gasped without meaning to. Something like dread settled on her stomach, or maybe it was anger. Whatever it was, it didn't feel good.

General Winter was a completely different story. There was a hungry glint in his ice shard-for-eyes. "The Blizzard Dragon. So we meet again."

The awful feelings seemed to churn in her gut. She had killed that thing! She cut off its wing and threw it down the abyss. How was it back, how was it possible? Did Elliott want to punish her by creating a new one and-

_No, don't be foolish_. The monster was attacking the village. Elliott obviously wouldn't be a fan of _that_.

Speaking of the devil, he trotted down the stairs seconds after, his freckly brother in tow. Helena pretended not to notice Elliott's red-rimmed eyes, like he'd been crying. Andy's flushed cheeks told the same story as the king's eyes. Had they...both been... crying? It threw her off, Elliott was always so composed and Andy always smiling... Helena didn't cry _with _her sisters, ever. She cried _because _of them. For a second, she envied the two boys.

"The Blizzard Dragon's damaging things for the Summer Festival and attacking the people," Andy said. "We need to stop it."

There was a tense silence, until Helena realized she was being directly spoken to. She raised her eyes to meet the prince's, and it was just as cringe-worthy as she expected. Things were still rough between them. She didn't expect them to forgive her, of course she didn't, but being despised was never a nice feeling. "What? _Me_?" she said.

"You got rid of it last time," Elliott said, his tone even. "I didn't see it- but I heard the fight from inside the ice palace. You are the only dragonslayer that we know of."

"A lousy one," General Winter added helpfully. "You did not kill it, your claim was false."

She flushed angrily, "I chopped off its wing and threw it down a cliff!" she jabbed a finger in Elliott's direction, "If His Grace made it indestructible, that's his fault!"

"Meltlings _can _be killed," Andy said with a hard edge to his voice. Helena almost winced when she remembered what General Winter had said; that Elliott had created a Meltling look-alike of her, and that it was Andy who had killed that one. It bothered her, but she couldn't exactly explain why.

"That thing's not gonna be excited to see me," Helena said unhappily. "Besides, why should I help you?"

She regretted it the moment the words left her, but it was Elliott who replied with an icy smile. "Because, princess, you _owe _us, to put it mildly. You owe us more than you want to admit."

She fumed in silence, but decided not to made this harder that it needed to be. She knew she'd end up helping one way or another. "_Fine_."

Elliott seemed surprised that she didn't argue back, or put up a more difficult fight. Truth was, she was tired. Of all of this. She never thought she'd wish for Astrid's presence until this day. It felt cowardly, but she really wanted her sister to get her out of this mess already.

"Okay, then. Guards, start heading out to evacuate the people," Elliott said, all business-like. The guards _yes, sir_'ed him and left. When it was only the two brothers, General Winter and herself, the king spread his fingers and waved them at her. A sword made of ice similar to General Winter's formed in her hand, and she yelped in surprise. The hilt wasn't as cold as it looked, and the balance of the sword felt nice in her hand. "You will help us."

Andy didn't look too sure about arming her, but he shrugged it off and started heading down the stairs, General Winter like an eager puppy right behind. Helena was about to follow when she felt Elliott's cold, ungloved hand on her shoulder stopping her. She canted her head to the side to look at him. "I'm giving you this sword to kill the _Blizzard Dragon_. Try to keep it away from my backside, if you would be so kind."

He didn't sound mean, and the sardonic side of her humor allowed her a small smile. "If it please Your Grace."

**Andy**

The first thing Andy did when he arrived at the chaotic village square was look for Krista.

He didn't know why, but his gut was telling him to. She was supposed to be harvesting ice up in the mountains with her jerk uncle, but some higher power told him she was here. The Blizzard Dragon had lost no time trampling flowers and flipping over carts. Alarmed horses without their riders galloped around the trashed center of the plaza, neighing and whining and basically not helping the situation.

The ear-piercing roar he'd heard back at the North Mountain days ago was back and terrorizing everyone. Children and adults ran around screaming. Andy's heart felt like lead. Elliott was going to get blamed for the dragon's craze. If Helena succeeded, she'd come out on top as the hero yet again. It had been an overall poor decision, but the princess was the only one that had successfully fought the dragon before. He was convinced Helena's heart was the frozen one, but it didn't seem to affect her courage. The girl was strong. The moment they arrived to help she immediately started barking orders about locating the dragon and ways to lure it away from the people. He begrudgingly admired that natural leadership.

Meanwhile Elliott was trying to keep buildings from collapsing by supporting them with ice columns. Andy remembered the dragon's spiked tail, how it could basically serve as a wrecking ball if BD swung it too wide. He got separated from the party following his gut instinct about Krista. People ran and shoved past him as they fled, he was the only crazy one going _towards _the angry roars and sounds of destruction.

"Prince Anders?"

"_Axel_?" Andy tried not to be too startled when he saw the grown man cowering behind an overturned cart. They were in a narrow alley without any people, but the dragon had been here. The trail of ice on the ground was evidence of that.

The man pushed back his long, long blonde hair and nodded. "I- I was with Krista, when we ran into- into that _thing_. She said King Elliott was the only one that could stop it. So we brought it here..."

He'd stopped listening after the word _Krista_. Every signal on his brain went off to saying _she's here_, _gotta find her, she's here, and there's a dragon_. "Be calm," he told the man who looked scared out of his mind. "Where's Krista?"

Axel gripped the wood on the cart tighter, shame clouding his face, "Um, she was... uh, the dragon... she said she was... going to buy time..."

Andy felt like he'd been struck with Elliott's cold magic. "_You left her to fight alone_?!"

"I-"

The prince held up a hand, silencing him. It was getting _really _hard to not loathe the man. "Stop. I don't wanna hear what you have to say. Just tell me where she is."

"Where the ships dock," Axel said lamely. No wonder this man had abandoned Krista when she was little. He was a coward through and thorough.

Andy was about to run off but he paused, meeting the man's defeated brown gaze, "You know, if you wanted Krista's forgiveness, this is a _terrible _way to go about it." And then he ran.

* * *

Andy arrived just in time to witness the overgrown ice lizard crushing a rowing boat with only its jaws, like it was a toothpick. The second thing he witnessed was tiny brave Krista throwing a fishing harpoon like a champion and impaling the dragon's shoulder. Andy couldn't help but cheer like a proud mom, which caused two things: one, for Krista to notice him. Two, for the _dragon _to notice him.

The dragon hissed and turned his full attention to Andy. "Hey buddy! It's been a while!" he said, as a flicker of recognition crossed the dragon's already very hateful eyes. Andy blinked in confusion. Atop the Blizzard Dragon's head was Elliott's crown from his coronation day. The fine gold caught the light and made it shine.

"_Anders_!" Krista yelled, a mix of worry and surprise on her face, "_What are you doing_?!"

"I'm not sure myself-" he had to dash to the side as the dragon stomped the ground and charged at him like a bull. They didn't have many bulls around these parts, but he'd read books on Spain and he felt like a bullfighter.

He jogged towards Krista while the dragon was busy crashing against the side of a building. She glared at him "That was stupid of you. One more second and you would've been a pancake-"

He silenced her with a kiss on her cheek, "I'm glad you're safe. And that your loser uncle if safe, too."

She muttered something about _reckless prince_ but the blush on her cheeks betrayed her. He was about to make another lame joke when they were rudely interrupted by the ice dragon's furious steps. Half of its face had caved in from the impact, but he still looked ready to commit murder.

Krista's shoulders slumped, "I don't know what else to do. We've been playing cat-and-mouse for a while, and it still isn't tired. How can we-"

"Oh, _boy_."

Krista, the dragon and Andy both turned to look at who had just rounded the corner to find them. Helena's hair was out of her neat ponytail and around her face, her mouth set into a firm line as the dragon's eyes locked on hers. General Winter stood beside her, practically vibrating with glee.

Something in the dragon's gaze changed. It went from _crazy rampage _to _unbelievably and thoroughly mad_.

General Winter noticed this, too. "It remembers you!" he nudged the princess' leg excitedly.

"Lucky me," Helena raised her eyes to the sky as if to say _thanks _to the gods, and then she drew the ice sword Elliott had made for her.

Andy flinched, hating the fact that he did. Krista squeezed his arm, noticing. "Who decided to was a good idea to give her a sword?"

"Elliott said she's the most qualified to kill it. Apparently she fought it before on the North Mountain." he rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly nervous, "but I don't know if she can. The dragon looks _super _mad."

Luckily, he was proven wrong. The dragon let out another guttural scream before charging at the princess and her snowy companion. Helena was fast. Faster than one would think. He dodged the assault easily and jabbed the sword against the monster's talon. General Winter mirrored her move, less graciously, but he also managed to stab the dragon where it hurt. It howled in pain and licked at its wounds, maybe trying to heal them. Whatever it was trying to accomplish, it was distracted enough; for now.

Next thing he knew, Helena was beside them. "I'm gonna need you two to distract it while I try to cut its head off."

Krista made an indignant noise at being told what to do by the princess, but Andy said "What kind of distraction?"

"Umm..." the princess scanned around for what she could work with. Finally, she pointed at a crate, "There's a tomato box. Get creative."

"I don't think-"

"_Do it_."

Helena ran to the other side of the dock and jumped behind an overturned boat, gesturing at them to do as she said. Helena's new best friend, General Winter, obediently followed her for the sneak attack. Krista rolled her eyes in annoyance. "She's going to ambush it," Andy tugged at the blonde's hand, "C'mon."

"I can't believe we're teaming up with your murderous ex-girlfriend to kill a zombie-like dragon," Krista said as they reached the tomato box. "And I'd like to stress the word _murderous_."

Andy shrugged. Of course this wasn't ideal, but what else were they going to do? Neither of them really stood a chance against the thing. Elliott was elsewhere, trying to keep buildings from collapsing with his magic. General Winter didn't stand a chance alone.

He studied the way the crate was positioned. It looked like it was about to be lifted by a machine, it was sort of balanced on a plank of wood. "Hey, maybe we can catapult it right into its ugly face."

Krista quickly caught on to his train of thoughts, "So we jump on that end... and the crate gets thrown straight at the dragon. Sounds simple enough."

"Together?" Andy gripped her hand and helped her up a smaller crate to the side so they were high enough to land on the plank of wood.

"Together," Krista replied with a small smile. Off to somewhere on their left, Helena made an annoyed sound telling them to hurry up- and Andy saw why. The dragon was done licking its wounds and was sniffing at the air, probably trying to find Helena.

It got a disappointed look on its face when he couldn't quite find his worst enemy. As consolation prize, he let his full attention fall on the prince and the ice harvester. This time it didn't charge, but started walking towards them with careful steps. For a second, Andy felt sorry for the creature.

"Do we jump?" Krista said in a low tone, barely moving her lips. Maybe she was paranoid the dragon understood.

"Not yet," Andy murmured back. "It needs to get closer."

Now, he was no expert in physics, but judging by the dragon's speed they would need to jump in a couple more seconds. They had to time this perfectly so the crate would hit him, and Helena was probably counting down in her head too, ready to strike.

He prayed to any god that would listen that this worked. The dragon's sapphire eyes were fixed on them, oblivious to the fact that if they jumped on the wooden plank the crate resting on it would go flying.

"_Now_!"

Krista hesitated and Andy had to tug her hard so they both landed on the plank at the exact same time. Andy craned his head back and smiled as the crate soared across the air. It happened almost in slow motion.

The dragon stopped dead in its tracks to stare at the incoming projectile. The only wing it had left on its back twitched, like he wanted to take flight but obviously couldn't. Small red circles tumbled out from the open box, a perfectly good produce wasted but sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. Andy never thought he'd be so happy to see tomatoes rain down from the sky. Even when some of them landed on him, the grin on his face did not change.

His calculations had been off by a little bit, and the crate exploded with a loud _**crash **_inches away from the dragon's face. "Uh oh," Andy said.

Before panic could get to him, two wonderful things happened.

One, Helena leaped from her hiding spot and sliced the dragon's slender neck with the ice sword like it was butter.

Two, Elliott had joined them just in time to send a horse-sized blast of snow shaped like a fist straight at the dragon's exposed back.

Both attacks combined resulted in the dragon's defeated sound of anguish and its death. The Blizzard Dragon burst into a million pieces, both ice and snow. The only real thing that remained was Elliott's crown, which was picked up by Helena.

"No fair!" General Winter waddled out from behind Helena's hiding spot, looking furious, "You didn't let me destroy the last Meltling!"

"Your legs aren't fast enough old man," the princess rolled her eyes and held out the crown to Elliott. "I believe this is yours?"

Elliott wiped some sweat from his brow, his face lined with worry. He accepted the crown, "Thanks." Using his powers seemed to have left him tired. Andy didn't blame him. He was exhausted himself.

Before anyone could do so much as think about celebrating, a ramp smacked against the dock and made them all turn to see. Andy almost didn't register the sound of a trumpet announcing the arrival of royalty.

"_No way_," Helena's eyes got wild, "_How_?"

They had been so busy protecting the village from the Meltling attack, Andy hadn't even thought to look out at sea to watch out for any incoming visitors. It's like the Southern Isles ship materialized out of thin air, like it had made a sneak attack of its own. This ship was way more grand and fancy than Sophia's had been... it could only mean one thing.

Andy brushed his hair back with his fingers so his bangs weren't in the way when the Queen of the Southern Isles practically glided down from her ship. She looked so regal, with her head held high and her shoulders straight. Her blonde hair fell down her shoulders in lazy ringlets and her smile was cold. She wore a red gown with long sleeves, braided with a gold color. She had a powerful sort of aura, and it made Andy nervous.

Behind her followed another woman in a blue dress, probably a sister, who felt way less threatening than the queen. Their faces were very similar, but the color scheme was different. This woman had dark auburn hair like Helena's, but her eyes were blue. And then she had... a scar. On the left side of her face. It was thin and deep, from the corner of her eye to her chin. It didn't take away from her beauty, but it sure was striking to look at. How did something like _that _happen to a princess?

"That was quite the impressive display," the older woman said. She looked at each and every one of their faces, frowning slightly when she saw General Winter, but if she felt any discomfort she didn't let it show. Her serene face finally landed on her younger sister's. "Helena," Queen Astrid said with a soft smile. "It's good to see you."

Andy could see the inner struggle on Helena's face. Half of her seemed relieved, the other half was angry. Her lips didn't seem to know whether to smile or to snarl.

She finally settled for a forced smile and bow of her head, "I feel the same, my queen." Her eyes flickered up briefly to the woman in the blue dress, "Maddy, you too."

The girl with the scar smiled a little, but Astrid didn't acknowledge her younger sister's words. Instead she gracefully stepped over dragon guts and sloshy tomato remains and made a bee-line for his brother. "And you must be Elliott. I've heard quite a lot about you."

The king of Arendelle had stiffened beside him, cold radiating off him. Andy discreetly poked his arm. "... Yes. I'm Elliott. And you are Astrid," he finally said. He bowed, "It's... a pleasure. Truly."

Like they were old friends, the southern queen hooked her arm through Elliott's in a seemingly friendly gesture. But Andy could see her nails digging in, "We have much to discuss," her voice was too sweet for the icy look on her face. "Let us talk somewhere private."

* * *

**For all the people who asked for brotherly fluff- there ya go, at long last! lol**

**summer is over, and i'm back in school. it's a tough year. I don't know how often i'll be able to update, but i'll do my best! I'm going to put up a word counter or 'progress' bar for future chapters on my profile. any questions, feel free to go on my tumblr where i post loads of frozen or send a PM here. i didn't have time to proof-read, soo pls excuse any mistakes.**

**Reviews are encouraged and i love reading them :) thank you for keeping up with this story!**


	13. Chapter 12

_"... Yes. I'm Elliott. And you are Astrid," he finally said. He bowed, "It's... a pleasure. Truly."_

_Like they were old friends, the southern queen hooked her arm through Elliott's in a seemingly friendly gesture. But Andy could see her nails digging in, "We have much to discuss," her voice was too sweet for the icy look on her face. "Let us talk somewhere private." _

**Maddy**

Maddy watched with mild amusement as the youngest of her siblings paced around the room, agitated out of her mind. She wasn't going to lie; Arendelle wasn't as bad as she'd thought it was going to be. So far it was a pleasant, rich kingdom nestled in a fjord. The palace was also very nice. The rosemaling flowers that decorated the architecture and even some of the clothes were really pretty.

"But what are they saying?" Helena asked for the millionth time, "They've been locked in there for, like, _hours_! What's Astrid telling him?"

"You don't want to know," Maddy said, proving for the umpteenth time how hopeless she was at comforting other people. Astrid's plan was still disgusting, and only a twisted mind such as hers could have come up with something so…. so E-V-I-L. That was the word, really. Maddy did_ not _want to be the one to tell Helena.

"Um, yeah, I do want to know! They could be settling my death sentence in there," Helena finally stopped moving around and collapsed on the chair across from Maddy's, a defeated look on her face. Maddy tried not to wince. She really seemed as desperate as Sophia had described.

The prince Anders and his blonde lady friend had left them alone in one of the guest rooms after it was painfully obvious Maddy didn't want to make small talk with them. She only worried about Helena, even if it _had _been her sister that had caused all the pain for the boy prince.

She could, however, assure Helena of one thing. "You're not getting put to death, sweetling. At least not by Astrid, you're still useful to her. I do not know about Elliott."

Helena's face relaxed, "Oh. Okay. Elliott said something similar."

She and Helena were not the best of friends by any means, but the familiarity felt good. Helena seemed to have grown up from this experience if anything, gotten some humility. Gods knew this girl had needed to get rid of some arrogance.

"I still want to know," the younger princess said after a few seconds of silence. "What Astrid's saying," she insisted.

Maddy pressed her lips together until they were but a thin line. "You'll know. In due time."

"But I want to know _now_," the last word came out more whiny than the girl probably intended. She straightened and fixed Maddy with a hard, serious look. "What is Astrid after? What's going on?"

The second oldest princess of the Southern Isles took a deep breath, trying to get some of her irritation to roll off of her. It didn't work. Helena was persistent, and Astrid had left her to deal with the young one's restless curiosity. "Well, I suppose Sophia told you… we can't afford to lose Arendelle. We need them on our side."

"Yeah, I know. So what are we—_Astrid_. What's Astrid going to do?"

Maddy shifted in her chair, extremely uncomfortable under her sister's gaze. She ran her tongue along her teeth, looking for words but coming up empty. How did you explain this to a child? Not that Helena was _really _a child, she looked and acted more like a woman every now more than ever. But Maddy was still double her age, so the thirteenth princess she was still technically the baby of the family. She didn't want to tell her— she _couldn't_.

"She's handling it," Maddy said in a clipped tone. "I wouldn't bet against Astrid. She'll save you, and… and everything will be _fine_."

Helena leaned back in her chair, a distrustful expression on her face. "You claim she doesn't want to kill me because I'm still _useful_," she folded her arms across her chest, "You also say we can't afford to lose Arendelle, that we still want them as allies, despite what happened…"

Maddy realized too late what was happening, "Helena, you—"

"And after what happened, after what I _did_, there is only _one _way that we can keep our alliance with Arendelle," her sister's jaw was suddenly clenched as she fitted the pieces of the puzzle all by herself. "You want to make a marriage alliance."

B-U-S-T-E-D. Maddy hung her head in misery. Helena was a little shit, but she was a _smart _little shit. She often forgot how much time the girl spent with Johanna. They didn't give Lena… _Helena _enough credit. She was growing up. "Yes, fine, you guessed it. Clever girl."

"Why would Astrid do something like that?" Helena said. Maddy glanced up. Her little sister didn't look as upset as Maddy had expected. She'd feared the girl would go on a rampage when she learned of Astrid's cruel plan. "Is Astrid really going to marry Elliott?"

It felt like Maddy's lungs got filled with lead. Helena had figured it out, but she'd figured it out _backwards_. She swallowed thickly and barely met the girl's green eyes, "No… no, Helena," Maddy said gently. She mentally steeled herself for her next words.

"It's _you _who will be marrying Elliott."

Maddy had expected Helena to start screaming, but her stunned silence was even worse.

**Elliott**

After five minutes of talking to the Queen of the Southern Isles, Elliott figured out two things.

One, he did not like her.

Two, _she knew her stuff_.

He couldn't find a more eloquent way to put it. This woman _knew _what she was doing. Everything she did and said was deliberate, like she'd been calculating it beforehand. From the way she walked to the way she talked, it all…it was all kind of overwhelming. No number of lessons could have prepared him for the fierce energy of this woman.

Still, Elliott was too stubborn to let himself get intimidated. He kept up with her banter as best as he could, but his fingers were tingling with nervous power. Small pieces of ice, like sand, gathered between his fingers and he had to discreetly wipe them off on his pants legs before the queen could notice. He was being totally unprofessional, but he didn't really care about appearances at that moment. She was like a snake, and he really didn't intend to let her bite him.

They talked in his study for a while, where she profusely apologized for Sophia's departure and swore up and down that it had been an emergency. Elliott didn't buy it, but he politely accepted the apology.

And then, _finally_, she got to the point.

"So, Helena."

"Helena indeed."

The corner of the queen's mouth twitched, like Helena's did when she didn't allow herself to smile. Astrid folded her hands on her lap and said, "She's an interesting girl, isn't she? Clever, ambitious, and so, so troubled…"

"I'd like to stress the _ambitious _part," Elliott said. "It's that particular thing that drove your sister to almost drive a sword through my back, and to leave my brother for dead."

"Hmm. Leave your brother for dead?" Astrid got a thoughtful, almost innocent expression on her face. "I've been informed Helena tried to give him a true love's kiss, like he requested. Your brother pressured her into giving him something she was not prepared to give. That part was not her fault."

Elliott tried not to grind his teeth in frustration. He didn't know the full details of what happened. Andy adamantly refused to give out the full story, he only knew bits and pieces but nothing entirely useful. Those moments were probably going to stay between his brother and Helena forever, with no other witnesses. Elliott noted the queen had decided to defend _that _first, and not acknowledge the _drive-a-sword-through-my-back _part at all.

"I suppose so," he finally allowed. He couldn't really blame Helena for Andy almost dying. That had been _his _fault entirely. _His _ice through his brother's heart. Helena had been under no obligation to…. never mind. One solid fact still remained. "Well, my Queen. Then there's the sword she almost killed me with, had Andy not stopped her."

"Yes… but, Your Grace, if you think about it… she was merely doing what was right."

Elliott tried, _really _tried not to take offence, "_Excuse me_?"

"Think about it," she withdrew her hands from her lap and spread them in front of her in a calming way, "Put yourself on my sister's shoes, if only for a moment. Think yourself a young girl, far from home, attending a grand coronation," Astrid's blue eyes were like chipped ice. "The ball, the food, everything is perfect! The crown prince dancing with you, both of you infatuated with one another."

Elliott wanted to argue that Andy's and Helena's relationship had been one-sided, and that Helena had only been pretending, but he wasn't certain of that. Andy had had strong feelings for her, that much was obvious, but he wondered if Helena had returned his affections. He forced himself to stay silent.

"Then there is a fight, there is yelling, and suddenly… the king summons a wall of sharp, sharp spikes of ice," Astrid said. Elliott tried his best to keep a neutral face on, but it was hard. Andy taking his gloves and asking why he shut him out was painful. "Let's jump forward a bit. The prince leaves to look for the missing king— and leaves _you, _the young foreign girl with a freezing kingdom in your hands. The people are scared. _You're_ scared, but you can't be. You aren't allowed to, not when all the people looking up to you.

"Those were Helena's feelings. She took care of your people while you… dealt with things, away on the mountains," Astrid said. She'd chosen her words carefully. _Dealt with things_. Not _ran away_ or _abandoned_. "Shall I continue?"

Was Astrid the master at reading people, or had Helena simply told her oldest sister what to say? It was too real, Elliott could practically feel what Helena must have felt from the queen's storytelling skills. Looking at things from the perspective of the thirteenth princess was… odd.

Elliott's eyes were probably as cold as the queen's by now. "Humor me."

This time the queen allowed a cocky half-smile. "…alas, the prince's horse returns, but _no prince_. You, the scared and confused princess, go look for your missing love. You fight a creature— a dragon— a creature that should not exist. With some hardship, you kill it. Then you find the king, and he's angry, and he's irrational, and he's about to kill two men…"

Elliott's head throbbed, the pain sharp and sudden and he almost gasped. To remember his lowest moment, when he'd been _ready_, to kill or be killed…

"You talk to him. You give him a choice. Then—"

"That's enough." He cut her off. "Just tell me what she was thinking when she intended to stab me on the back, if you please. Enlighten me on how it was _the right thing to do_."

The queen grinned. "Of course. I'll even keep it short… but I must ask to speak frankly, this may not be pleasant to your ears…"

"Go on. Be as blunt as you like."

Astrid's icy eyes pinned him with a hard, intense look. "You are the princess, and the boy you thought you loved just died because you didn't love him enough. _Couldn't _love him enough," she corrected. "And this boy died because his brother, the Ice King, the man who created the dragon, who froze the kingdom— he shot him with his ice. And this ice froze his heart. And you see this monster running across the fjord, escaping yet again—"

The queen kept talking, but Elliott's eyes glazed over at the word. _Monster_. The pain in his head throbbed some more. Andy had worked so hard the last few days to convince him, to get him to see that he wasn't a monster, that he was _good, _that…

But words didn't change actions, they didn't change facts. Astrid spoke the truth… a twisted version of it, but she wasn't _lying_. He still was that monster. By the time his scrambled brain finally decided to focus, the queen was almost done.

"…— sword in hand, what do you do? _What would you do? _If you thought that killing the person who brought so much pain and hurt to everyone else around you was the solution to end the eternal winter, would you swing it?"

"She didn't care about ending the winter," Elliott's voice didn't sound like his own. The words just poured out of him with spite. "She cared about getting my crown, because apparently, she and Andy _got married _before he _died_— and that was a lie."

"Your brother was _dying_," Queen Astrid said. "His veins were clawing with ice, his brain jumbled. I'm afraid that, concerning what happened on that study… we can only trust Helena's version as she was the only sound, coherent person in the room."

_Your brother was dying. You made him that way_. Elliott swallowed back his anger with effort, trying to keep his temper in check. It seemed Andy's Thing was just never going to be clear. But the fjord was undeniable. If Elliott said it right, if Astrid didn't twist the facts…

"Your sister attempted regicide," he made sure his tone was firm and left no room for discussion. "Multiple people saw her— she's even admitted to it. She tried to kill the king, and that's that."

"That's that," to his surprise, Astrid agreed. She folded her hands on her lap once again, her eyes were now challenging, "So, do tell… what's to become of the child?"

_The child_. Helena was practically a woman grown, but when worded that way… The queen was repulsively good at this.

"After what you explained I… I understand her point of view. It doesn't justify it, but… punishment should be in order," he said.

"I agree," Astrid said. "Let's discuss that. Her punishment. I don't think prison would do her any good… let's say, fifty lashes and… strip her of her titles? No more _Princess _Helena. Perhaps that will suffice."

Elliott tried not to curse out the woman right then and there. "_Lashes_? You want to _whip _you own _sister_?"

"You are right! Fifty isn't enough. We'll do it until we find the bone on her back—"

"_What's wrong with you_?" Elliott's couldn't hide his horrified face. _What the hell_. He didn't want to let Helena's actions go unpunished, but her sister was either joking or just a flat out _sadist_. And cast her out of the family? Would they do— _yes_. Why was he even wondering? Of course they didn't care if they banished one of thirteen. Elliott deiced he wasn't having any of it. "You misunderstand me, Queen. I want her to _learn_, not… what you suggested, it's…barbaric…"

She nodded, "Yes, that was harsh of me… I think we should settle for a more pacific solution that would benefit both sides here," he almost flinched when she placed her impossibly warm hand on top of his. He was surprised steam didn't come off, as his hands were ice-cold. "I am willing to offer a compromise that, I believe, holds the best possible outcome to this unfortunate situation that we've found ourselves in."

Warning signals set off inside Elliott's head. Every word out of her mouth set him on edge. The last thing this woman had was good intentions. But he was terribly curious about her proposal. He nodded at her to continue, an unpleasant blanket of dread settling on his heart.

Queen Astrid smiled gently, "We would very much like to keep our good relations with Arendelle— in fact, we'd like to take that alliance to the next level, so to speak…" the blonde wet her lips before she continued, "We'd like to arrange a marriage between you and Helena."

Elliott waited one second.

Two.

Three.

But the queen didn't say she was joking, or even laugh. Her face was dead serious. Slowly, very slowly, Elliott shook his head, "That's preposterous. I won't consent to that."

"So that's a no?" She actually looked disappointed. The _nerve_!

"Absolutely not! _Never_. That you would even suggest it—"

She withdrew her hands from his more violently than was probably necessary, her pleasant face changing into a scowl, "Then you are a fool, Elliott son of Agdar. I'm going to tell you your _exact _situation, and you better listen carefully if you care about what's best for your people. You may _then _reconsider my very generous offer."

Elliott barely registered the insult. He was too stunned with the Queen's snarling face, her biting words. The diplomatic front had melted right off her skin, leaving behind something ugly and mean.

"Your financial situation is shocking. I need only take one look outside at the Summer Festival's preparations to tell you that much. Your buildings are damaged, you are short on food. How much has the revelation of your power cost you?" She raised her hand, silencing him before he could even reply. It had been a rhetorical question. "How long until the money runs out? Until your people starve, since the crops died with the ice? Believe me, King Elliott, you do _not _want to see a hungry population. It's not pretty."

An angry and shameful feeling rolled in his gut, and snowflakes began to fall from the ceiling, the panels started to frost over. He clenched his fist. _Conceal it, conceal it, don't feel it_. The old mantra pierced his mind as effectively as Astrid's rant. And the rant was not over.

"There is also the fact that your people probably fear you. Distrust you. That is also never a good thing… but let's get back to the money, since I feel like it's the most relevant. Your money runs out, and you… what? Ask to borrow? From who?" She gave no indication that the snowflakes falling from above were bothering her. She simply blinked away the tiny flakes that landed on her lashes, "They will not help you. They, too, are afraid of your power. It's a threat. _You're _a threat. They knew your father, but not you. You've hid inside this castle for far too long, my dear King. How long until they decide to attack Arendelle? Eliminate this big threat?"

She was getting to his head, and she knew it, and he _hated it_. He remembered Zazu's warning about the very dangerous woman in front of her. He conjured up in his mind the image of Madeleine's scarred face and how the prime suspect was Astrid. He wholeheartedly believed it now.

"But it doesn't have to be that way." Astrid's eyes blazed with determination, her voice turned quiet and persuasive. "If you marry Helena, the Southern Isles will become your ally. We will support you in the financial struggles, give you all the money you need. We will bring food, supplies… whatever is required. We'll open the doors to other political allies, and I will personally assure other rulers that you are not dangerous to them. Arendelle will be stronger than ever. You will surpass your father's legacy. All you need to do… is say yes."

Elliott was quiet for so long Astrid probably thought he forgot how to talk. And he kind of had. He was speechless. Of all the things that could have happened during this talk, never had he imagined this is the course things would take. Astrid had him trapped, and her offer was both impossible tempting and ridiculously horrible. How could he marry his attempted-murderer? _His brother's_ worst enemy?

The snowflakes fell more aggressively from the ceiling, in par with his emotions. He literally was at a crossroads, both with terrible choices. Someone would suffer in the end… but in one of the choices, his people would be fine. He would not. The thing with Elliott was, he was self-sacrificing, it was his nature. He had sacrificed half his life so his brother would live safe from his magic. He had planned to leave Arendelle so everyone would be safe from him…

"I will consider your generous offer," the words felt empty and feeble when they finally left him, but they seemed to please Astrid.

"Excellent. Hmm. Don't look so miserable, my King. If you do take my offer, you will save your kingdom," she patted his arm in a friendly way. "If you do not take it… you will _doom _it."

Elliott slid down on his chair feeling small, and like Astrid so perfectly described, miserable. He felt like he had his own personal cloud above his head, like General Winters. Only his cloud rained down self-pity and anger.

"I'll await for your answer when the sun sets," Astrid walked away towards the door, gracefully stepping over the ice that Elliott's distress had created on the carpet. "Good day."

One, two, three.

Once the soft _click _of Astrid's footsteps faded away, Elliott released a frustrated, guttural scream.

**Andy**

"_Are you okay_?!"

Andy burst through the doors seconds after the pained sound travelled through the palace— he hadn't been very far anyway. He didn't like the idea of leaving Elliott alone with Astrid one bit, so he had hung around the general area of where they were having their meeting. The woman had an evil vibe below her amiable face. In fact, he'd passed her on the way to get to Elliott. Helena's sister had had a little smirk on her face. It made Andy uneasy. She looked _too _pleased with herself.

Things didn't look too great when he got there. A miniature storm was raining down on Elliott, and his brother's knees were drawn up, his chin resting on them. Not very kingly. His brother looked upset— Andy automatically mirrored Elliott's feelings. Whatever upset him was bound to upset Andy as well.

He quickly and clumsily skipped over the fallen ice and climbed on the chair beside Elliott— probably where Queen Astrid had been sitting only moments before. "Hey, hey, hey, it's okay," he tried to pry Elliott's hands away from hugging his legs but it was hopeless. Whatever Astrid had told him, it had crushed his brother.

"Tell me what happened. It's okay," he repeated soothingly, slowly but surely getting his brother to release his legs.

Eventually Elliott gave in and let his limbs fall in defeat. He was sprawled on the chair, his whole demeanor unhappy. The talk hadn't gone well, that much was obvious. Andy really wanted to know what the heck had happened, but he didn't want to pressure Elliott. He waited somewhat patiently for his brother to speak.

"Queen Astrid, she…" Elliott pressed his lips together, a tint of anger clouding his eyes, "She's too good, Andy. She knows how to play the game better than I do."

"What game? What are you talking about?"

Elliott's face did something between a sneer and a grimace, "She got me, Andy. She knows… about the problems. The financial problems. She is seeing our weakness and— and she's going to exploit it if I don't… if me and…"

"Elliott, it's _okay_, okay? Whatever she wants— we won't give it to her! Helena tried to kill us! She's the one that should be giving _us _stuff!"

A dozen more snowflakes fell from the ceiling before Elliott answered. "I know. _They _wronged _us_. And yet… we still lose. Look, Andy, after my coronation…"

His brother let it all out. The money problems, the shaky alliances with other countries that were scared, the people, the threat of war… As Elliott kept talking, blurting out his insecurities and problems, Andy listened. Because they _were _his insecurities and problems too. He wouldn't let Elliott burden it alone. Never again.

"We'll cancel the Summer Festival," Andy said when Elliott finished. "We'll plant more crops! We can talk to the other kings and queens, get them to see, get them to understand…"

It broke his heart to see Elliott so sad, "Half those things can be done, but… Astrid has the upper hand. My hands are tied for lack of a better word. She has more influence over the other lands. Her army is probably perfectly capable of invading us, while ours is… not. My— my powers, the winter… so many things were destroyed, Andy. Our defenses are at its lowest. It was not meant to snow in July, we weren't prepared…" his brother ran a frustrated hand through his platinum hair. "I'm handling it as best as I can but… I don't… ah. I wish Papa were here."

Elliott sighed from deep in his self, and Andy joined him. He missed their parents, too. Hm, that reminded him… "What is Astrid asking for, anyway?"

"What she's asking is despicable. She has no shame. It's awful… and it must be done," he said the last part quietly. His brother raised his eyes slowly to meet his green ones. The reluctance was clear, but he could also see some determination. "She is offering an alliance between Arendelle and the Southern Isles via me marrying Helena."

As soon as the words were delivered they immediately made Andy jump out of his chair and started yelling. "She can't _do _that! That is _so _wrong! No, no way. I won't have— my _sister-in-law— No_! Don't do it, Elliott. _Don't you dare_!" he meant to sound serious, but it came out as a plea. And maybe he _was _pleading. It didn't matter. He knelt in front of his brother's chair, "Please, please don't marry Helena. You can't. You mustn't!"

Elliott's mouth was set into a grim line. "I need to maintain the King's peace."

"_No_!"

"It's the only way."

"Let's go to war with them," Andy urged, jumping to his feet. "We will fight! You alone count as a whole army. Make thirty Blizzard Dragons, some Meltlings! _Five thousand General Winter's_!"

Andy didn't realize he was crying until Elliott stood up and gently wiped the tear away. The prince wiped his arm across his face, embarrassed. "We can _win_," he whispered.

"It's not that simple. They could siege the fjord, starve us out. If the Southern Isles has something it's an incredible navy. We wouldn't be able to survive on the mountains, the people…" Elliott, ever the self-sacrificing _idiot _smiled pitifully. "We will be okay. Astrid promised supplies a-and food. She can put in a good word for me that I'm not a monster to, uh, other kings. No war."

"Everyone will be okay _except you_!" Andy punched his brother in the arm without much force. It was frustration more than anything. He let himself fall on the chair."Arranged marriages are ruining _everything_!" He slammed his fist down on the armrest. Krista's mysterious intended lover never left his mind for long.

"Krista has a choice," Elliott said. "She'll pick you, don't fret."

"Are you _sure _you don't want to start a war?"

Elliott gave a tired, empty laugh as he sat down yet again, "I'm sure."

Andy tried to accept the idea… but he could not. Helena and Elliott… _no_. There should definitely be an universal law against such an union. Elliott didn't make things better by thinking of everyone else's needs before his… then again, that's what being King was, wasn't it? Putting others before you. Andy would make a terrible king, probably. The hard decisions, the ones that counted, like this one… he wouldn't be able to make the right call. The prince remembered the days when Elliott put Andy's needs before his own and thinking that it counted as love.

"Then… that's it? You will marry… _Her_?" Andy rubbed his hands over his eyes, still not believing it. It was like trying to swallow a rock.

"I will do my duty."

"And what's your _bride _got to say in this, huh? I bet this was her idea!" Andy tried to keep the bitter resentment out of his voice and failed. "She'll get what she came after, in the end."

'_I knew I'd have to marry into the throne somewhere' _he remembered Helena's evil speech like it had happened yesterday. She would be getting her dearest wish, and poor Elliott was going to be the scapegoat. It made Andy's blood boil. It also made him want to weep.

"I don't think Helena's aware of her sister's plans," Elliott said, but he didn't look too sure. "Anyway, I should… I should talk to her. Then I'll give Astrid my answer."

"Ugh, Elliott, please don't," Andy pleaded, but Elliott was already up and walking towards the door rather stiffly. The snowflakes had stopped, but the cold, apprehensive aura followed his brother. He got up and followed, "You don't have to—"

Elliott opened the door to reveal his bride-to-be. Helena had a hand raised, ready to knock. It seems she and Elliott had the same idea that they just _had _to talk to each other. Andy tried to ignore her red-rimmed eyes. _Maybe _she hadn't known about her sister's plan after all, but he didn't pity her.

"Helena?" murmured Elliott.

And then she started to cry.

* * *

**+++ before ya'll set me on fire, be calm! the story is still not gonna be Elliott/Helena— at least not romantically. this was part of the plot I had from the start, before I started writing the sequel. it's an interesting thing I've been wanting to do for a while, and even if it's not deliberate, Helsa shippers can also be sort of happy, so… win/win?**

**++this chapter came along quicker bc in case u didn't know… Once Upon A Time is having frozen characters this season and its rly great and I love it and I got inspired… IM NOT GONNA LIE THIS WAS RLY FUN TO WRITE HEHE**

**+and shoutout to **_thesketchamateur _**for drawing fanart about the story! it seriously made me very happy :) I stumbled upon it while on tumblr, but if you ever do any sort of fanart, do tell me! I'd love to see it!**

**i didnt have time to proof read so pls excuse any mistakes!**

**thank you for reading!:)**


	14. Chapter 13

_"I don't think Helena's aware of her sister's plans," Elliott said, but he didn't look too sure. "Anyway, I should… I should talk to her. Then I'll give Astrid my answer."_

_"Ugh, Elliott, please don't," Andy pleaded, but Elliott was already up and walking towards the door rather stiffly. The snowflakes had stopped, but the cold, apprehensive aura followed his brother. He got up and followed, "You don't have to—"_

_Elliott opened the door to reveal his bride-to-be. Helena had a hand raised, ready to knock. It seems she and Elliott had the same idea that they just had to talk to each other. Andy tried to ignore her red-rimmed eyes. Maybe she hadn't known about her sister's plan after all, but he didn't pity her._

_"Helena?" murmured Elliott._

_And then she started to cry._

* * *

**Helena**

The brothers watched in stunned silence as she staggered inside whatever the room was. A study, servant's quarters— it was all the same to her. Andy immediately got tense and Elliott looked uncomfortable . Elliott, her… her _betrothed_.

It still made something unpleasant inside her roll with dread. After Maddy reluctantly revealed the news Helena just… she went blank. Then she got angry. Then the blubbering self-pity set in. And finally, desperation. But no threat, bargain or plead moved her sister. Maddy was adamant about obeying Astrid's orders. So she ran.

She ran blindly down the hall, shoving past servants and suits of armor. To where? Her initial intentions had been to find the Queen of the Southern Isles and throttle her with her bare hands. Maddy had started the job years ago and got a scar to show for it— now Helena intended to finish the deed, whatever it took. Jail-time or exile couldn't be worse than _this_. Being forced to marry the man she tried to kill and basically take everything from. She just couldn't handle it.

Halfway there she realized she didn't know where she was going and that it was pointless to fight. That's when a void of resignation mixed with despair set in her heart. She started breathing in panicky breaths and her eyes got unpleasantly warm. Her throat closed up— the crying was coming. It was just a matter of _when_. She preferred to do it privately, but just as the Fates would have it— Astrid walked past her just then, an evil smirk on her face. It made Helena's muscles tighten. It was the face of a woman who had won.

"_You_— You can't make me do this," she gasped, but the poor thing still managed to try a firm voice. "I won't. _He _won't. Neither of us—"

"Oh, but you _will_," Astrid didn't even stop walking. "I don't care for what _you _want… oh, he's at the end of the hall, big oak door. Perhaps you should have a little chat before he agrees to my demands," and her oldest sister rounded the corner and left her, just like that.

That chain of events led her to… to where she was at the moment. With both brothers staring at her as the dam she'd built inside her broke down completely. If there was one sound she couldn't stand it was that of people sobbing, so she tried to stifle them.

"I—uh, I've got to— Krista's looking for me," Andy excused himself after his attempt feeble excuse. He gave his older brother a firm pat on the shoulder and then he left, closing the door with a soft _click_.

She and Elliott were alone.

_Get it together_, she scolded herself. She was being completely pathetic. If someone got the rotten end of this deal, it was Elliott. _He _had all the right to complain. She was getting exactly what she deserved. A miserable life for a miserable girl. One thing was to be hated at home by your sisters. A completely different one would be to be hated by your husband. To live with, dine with, to share a bed with…

She almost groaned in frustration. Then there was _Andy_. She would have to see him _every day_, his big dumb green eyes and his easy smile— _and _Krista. If Andy were to ever marry that ice harvester, Helena would become related to the likes of _her_. The three of them against her… _plus _that insufferable snowman, General Winter.

"Helena?"

She grit her teeth and angrily wiped away the tears. She refused to let him continue seeing her at one of her lowest moments— _again_. The gentleness in his voice infuriated her more than anything.

"It was not my idea," she said quietly. When her voice didn't shake, she gathered confidence in her words and turned around to finally face him. "This was _not _my idea," she repeated, her bloodshot eyes fixing on his blue ones. "I didn't have anything to do with this. Astrid—"

He raised his hands in a placating gesture, "I know. This is your sister's scheme entirely. It's not your fault."

She almost scoffed at the calmness in his voice, the neutrality on his face. Why did it feel like she was the only one upset over the news? He probably wanted to marry her as much as she did— which she didn't. At all. Not anymore. She dreamed of being queen once— but not…like this.

There was something seriously wrong with her. Mere days ago she'd been perfectly fine with getting the throne through regicide— but apparently getting it via an arranged marriage wasn't the same to her troubled little head. _I'm damaged_, she noted with dull amusement.

Helena knew herself better than anyone else, obviously, so she kinda knew why this was so different. The whole _kill-Elliott-to-get-the-throne _thing had been under her own terms. She'd accepted _those _actions, those concequences. But this marriage thing? _Astrid _was the author of this one. It was Helena's nature to rebel against anything her sisters wanted to force her to do.

"So, what? You're _okay _with this?" she gestured between them, "Y-You and… _me_?"

"Of course not," he replied. "I don't appreciate being told what to do. Nor do I enjoy being blackmailed and—" Helena saw the briefest of glimpses of that man on the mountain that almost killed two men cross Elliott's face. That primal anger that Helena helped stop. But he quickly regained his composure. "It's not ideal, and I don't… I'm not _okay _with this. With _us_. But…" he swallowed, "We are to be married, a-and… we'll endure this."

Helena's right hand clenched into a fist at his passiveness. "Why don't you fight her? How come you're just giving in?"

The dark look crossed Elliott's face again. "Because I want _peace_. Your sister has promised a lot of things— I don't know how much of it was true, but I'll take my chances if it means saving Arendelle."

If Astrid was promising things, chances were she would deliver. If her sister had one redeeming quality it was that she always kept her word.

Helena rolled her eyes, absolutely not caring anymore. "You're being a selfish."

Elliott chuckled without humor. "That's rich coming from you."

"You don't get it," Helena tried to keep her cheeks from reddening, "First she'll want a marriage, _then _she'll want us to… consummate it by, uh… procreating..." she almost gagged and let her sentence trail off.

Elliott ducked his head so she didn't catch the expression on his face. He marched away towards two chairs— probably where he and Astrid had been talking minutes before. He sat down and waved at the other chair— Astrid's chair— but she remained standing.

"I know how consummating a marriage works," he said evenly. "She has no way of knowing if we've… you know. We don't have to—"

"She _will _know," Helena said, the frustration she felt creeping into her voice. She had refused to sit on the chair by Elliott, so she simply stood at his side to talk to him.

Elliott scowled, "She won't unless you tell her. It's none of her business—"

"She'll make it her business! She's a maniac! You probably won't believe me, but she'll go as far as to checking the sheets to confirm…"

"Oh, I believe you," now Elliott's face was red too. "Wait, so the sheets… you've never… lain with a man before?"

She couldn't even come up with a witty reply so she just smacked his arm instead, alongside an indignant little noise. Below the properness the guy had a cheeky side. She didn't know if she liked that.

"Just trying to get to know my future wife, no need for violence." He said dryly, "And, hey, whatever. I've never been with a woman either. You'd probably expect it from the recluse ice monster."

"You're not a monster," she said almost automatically. There was no reason for her to want to make him feel better, yet she said the words. If anyone in that room was a monster it was her. Then why… "You're acting odd. Did you forget the kind of person you've agreed to marry? The… _heinous bitch_?"

"It's called coping. My coping is usually self-destructive, so I'm trying Andy's way. Making jokes. Self-deprecating ones sometimes, but… I don't know. It helps." He looked up at her from his sitting position, "I think you, too, are using this system to cope."

Well, it was true. She _had _just called herself a bitch. He was right. She was using the make-jokes-about-it-to-feel-better method to deal with things. It was either this or crying. And she _hated _crying. It was weird how they both had just sort of… resigned themselves to the situation. They couldn't fight it… at least not right then. All they could do was succumb to it.

A couple of seconds of comfortable silence passed before Elliott stood up and walked over to the desk. He rummaged inside the drawers until he pulled out a bottle, "Would the princess care for some wine?"

She raised an eyebrow and tried not to roll her eyes at the mocking in his voice. "You keep bottles of fine wine inside desks?"

He shrugged, "It was a gift I forgot to put away. And I could really, _really _use a drink."

"Do you have any hidden cups—" with incredible ease Elliott pulled open the cork and took a long swig straight from the bottle. Small patterns of frosting spread from his splayed fingers around the bottle, intricate designs giving the dark glass a unique look. _Showoff._

He offered her the whole bottle, his eyes were darker and they shone with something she couldn't quite place. "We'll fight Astrid when we get our chance," he said, a fierce determination in his eyes, "I don't know about you, but I'll be bidding my time for the right moment. But, for now…"

Elliott wasn't weak like she'd originally thought. He was strong— just a different kind of strong. He wasn't going to start a war over something as stupid as this— but he didn't plan to let Astrid win on the long run either. She knew now, they were on the same page. Neither of them wanted to follow through with Astrid's plan, to do things by her terms. They were stuck on the same shitty situation, they might as well make the best of it.

Without a word, she took the bottle from him.

* * *

**Krista**

Krista got two bits of terrible news at once— so it basically felt like she got punched in the face. _Twice_.

First, her uncle— the annoying coward was back yet again begging for her forgiveness after he left her alone to fight the Blizzard Dragon. She should've expected no help from a man like that, but still the disappointment had stung when he had simply watched from the sidelines as she fought against the icy beast.

_Now _it was finally the day she could be meeting the mysterious man her mother wanted her to marry. Axel swore up and down she wouldn't regret this. She went with it mostly out of curiosity, and to at least make an effort to honor her mother's wish. She had no intention of talking to the guy for more than five minutes but hey— at least _meeting _him wouldn't hurt, right?

The second bit of news was more unsettling.

"Elliott's marrying _her_?"

"Helena! I know, right?!"

They were cooped up inside Krista's little hut-home at the Valley of the Living Rock as she got ready to meet with Mystery Guy. Axel and her troll family were banished from the hut until further notice, so it was just her and Andy. Suri was outside keeping her uncle company. At first she'd felt nervous just being the two of them, and about how Andy would feel being in her house practically made out of rocks and mud. But he didn't seem to care. He flopped right down to the bed, kicked his boots off, and began to rant as she tried to brush the knots out of her tangled mess of blonde hair.

"He can't marry her," Krista said. "What good is that gonna do?"

Krista raised her eyes to catch Andy's troubled expression in the mirror.

"Um, I don't know how much I should say of this but… things aren't going all that well. Money-wise. So the Southern Isles have offered Elliott a bunch of goodies to save Arendelle— goodies _plus _no war. All at the price of marrying him to a sociopath!" Andy squirmed in her bed, as if he could physically express how gross the whole situation was.

The bad financial situation made sense. Prices for food had gone up, sky-high. The Summer Festival preparations must have been costing a fortune. All because of Elliott's winter.

She pulled at the knots more aggressively, "So Elliott has no choice… can't he ask other countries to—"

"Astrid is friends with other countries! My brother doesn't know them, they don't know him. Astrid could just tell them, like, _'hey, that guy has ice powers! he'll freeze your kingdoms! let's attack him_!' This is just… _ugh_," he grabbed her pillow and pressed his face against it, muffling an angry shout. Suddenly he laughed, "Hey, it smells like you."

"Thanks?"

"Ah, then there's the other awful pairing," Andy tossed the pillow away and sat up on the bed, catching her eye on the mirror, "You and Mr Mystery Guy."

"I'm just _meeting _him. No harm in it."

"Riiiight," he narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but he mostly just looked cute. "And I'm not allowed to come."

"I don't want you sending him to the dungeon."

"You wound me! I would never—"

"Andy."

Finally, he smiled, which made her smile back. "Fine, fine. But I must insist you take a chaperone."

"My uncle is going to be—"

"I don't like your uncle." He said. Then he quickly added, "No offense. But you should take General Winter. It would make me feel immensely better."

"Um, why would I want a sword-wielding grandpa as my chaperone? What if the General thinks he's a Meltling and attacks? What would you do if that happened, my prince?"

"If the talking snowman decides to decapitate your date, who am I to stand in the way of fate?"

"It's not a date," she laughed. She set the brush down and looked at the lazy blonde curls that barely reached her shoulders. Krista didn't look like no Southern Isles Princess, she simply looked like herself, and for the first time she didn't feel self-conscious about it.

"Then why are you dressed so nice?"

"I just brushed my hair a little. And for the record? I like my ice harvesting clothes better." She smoothed down the yellow dress she'd picked to meet her mother's… acquaintance? She glanced back at Andy, sulking in her bed. "Hey, I'll be back before you know it. And don't worry about Elliott— he knows what he's doing."

Andy sighed and waved his hand dismissively, "Have _fun_."

* * *

Brandon.

That was his name.

Her uncle had arranged for them to meet right by the market square. But the guy was late. So Krista entertained herself by watching people fix everything the Blizzard Dragon had trampled during its earlier rampage. The blonde leaned against a pillar, enjoying the warm summer breeze with her arms crossed over her belly. Normally she would be over there with them helping any way she could, but not today. Not when all her nerves were on edge at the stranger she was giving a chance.

She was also living with the slight terror of General Winter having followed her and attacking this Brandon (probably under Andy's jealous orders). When the boredom got too great, she started to try and picture the guy in her mind. Brown hair, black, blonde, _gray_? She didn't even know the guy's age. He could be thirteen years old for all she knew. Or forty.

Before she got dizzy thinking about it for too long, the most trivial of movements out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Some major working force made her turn on that very moment, because usually she would have missed such a quick movement.

A guy in his early twenties had her purse dangling from his index finger. It wasn't a fancy purse or anything— in fact, all that was inside it was her pickaxe. You know… just in case. Great thing to bring on a first date. _Not _that this was a date.

"_Oi_!" she yelled, swiveling around to face the thief. His skin was dark and his brown eyes shone with amusement. His curly brown hair was tucked inside a paperboy cap, giving him a boyish look but the stubble on his cheeks revealed his true age.

He smiled cheekily and flexed his legs as if ready to run, "It's nothing personal—"

The poor guy probably wasn't expecting the 5'2 blonde girl in a dress to charge him as violently as she did. The impact was so solid she heard his gasp as he got the wind knocked right out of him. She didn't think as she drove her elbow against his chest and tackled him to the ground.

"_Oof!_"

She ripped her purse right out of his fingers with one swift pull as the guy lay dazed on the ground below her. She grinned at her small victory and stepped away from the stunned thief. The assault attracted attention, and an Arendelle guard in a green uniform approached them.

"Is he bothering you, miss?" he asked, shooting the man on the ground a distrustful look.

She opened her mouth, ready to say that _yes, this guy just tried to rob me! _But for some reason she glanced back at the guy's face, only to be met with puppy-brown eyes silently pleading with her. Crap. Why did she have such a kind heart?

"N-No, actually. We're fine." She lied through her teeth. _Why was she helping him_. The guy on the ground extended his hand as an act of good faith, with the same cheeky smile as before.

She gripped his hand harder than necessary and he winced, but she still pulled him up to his feet. The guard nodded and left them.

"Hey, thanks! That was sweet of you." The guy had a tilt to his voice, a Spanish accent maybe? He brushed himself off and bowed his head, "I'm truly sorry about the whole steal-your-purse-thing. I had an urge…"

Krista narrowed her eyes and ignored him. From the depths of her purse she pulled out her uncle's crumpled note in his swoopy handwriting to double check if there was a set time for the dumb meeting with Mystery Guy.

**Krista**

**Meet at market square**

**His name is Brandon**

**-Axel**

The blonde growled in frustration and balled up the paper in her fist once again. This was a bad idea. Maybe it would be best if she left. She was doing this for the sake of her mom's late wishes, but this was just—

"…Yo, I have a paper just like that!" She'd completely forgot the almost-thief was still standing right beside her. She shoved the paper back inside her purse and prepared herself to tell him to mind his own business, but literally from inside his shirt he pulled out an identical crumpled-up paper. He smoothed it out and pointed at the handwriting, "See? _Meet at market square, Her name is Krista_…"

He gasped and blinked, "No way— _you're _Krista?!"

She almost choked with her own saliva between trying to breathe and trying to reply, "_Brandon_?"

* * *

"Huh. Well… this is not quite how I expected us to meet," he chuckled, from nervousness or because he found it truly funny she could not tell. He then rubbed the back of his head and pulled off his hat; yep, he was nervous.

"My mom wanted me to marry some thief?" The thought left her mouth before she could stop it. "You're late, by the way."

"I'm not a thief! Uh. At least I don't mean to." Brandon offered her a sheepish smile. "I've got issues with taking things. Breaking into places. Stealing private information—" he clamped both hands over his mouth. "I— ignore I just said that. Uh."

She couldn't even form another sentence. Is _this _what her mother meant with 'climbing the social ladder'? She'd half expected some rich snob. Not this kleptomaniac. Krista leaned against the wall again. She didn't plan on going anywhere with this guy now. She might as well make herself comfortable while he talked.

"I'm not what you expected," he noted, his shame quickly disappearing. He tilted his head, "You aren't, either. What I expected. My mama failed to mention you hit like a bull… in a good way, in a good way!" he added quickly when Krista's eyes flashed. "I like that in a woman. You can defend yourself. That's grand. It's swell. Very good."

"Yeah, um… I'm going to be honest with you, Brandon. I'm kind of in a relationship. I just— I figured I'd meet you, yeah? For my mom's sake. May she rest in peace." She bit her lip, waiting for his reaction.

"May she rest in peace," he echoed hastily. He smiled softly, "It's okay. Same here. Trust me, the original plan was _not _to rob you. I wanted to meet you. My mama kinda pushed me into it…Don't get me wrong— you're actually pretty cute. I'd be down." He raised an eyebrow suggestively, but the façade quickly fell off and he snorted with laughter.

She forced her own laughter down, not having quite forgiven him for trying to steal from her. She clicked her tongue, "Do you make a living like this? Stealing from girls?"

He pouted, "Actually… yeah. At first. My little problem turned out to be a gift. My family and I are pretty well off now— I mean, it _did _start with simply stealing. Then we sold the stuff. Eventually my dad became a merchant… things ended up okay. We don't rely on my ability anymore, but it still happens… sometimes…. I can't help myself."

Oh, so they _were_ kinda high on the social ladder. Maybe that's what her mother had meant. Granted, Brandon's wealth came from stolen goods, but still…

Krista sighed. It was a heavy exhale that made her lower her shoulders, along with her guard. This guy had that same charisma that her uncle also possessed. They could screw anything up and eventually she'd warm up to them.

"…Now I got a better gig. Stealing secrets from rich folks, selling 'em to their political adversaries—" Once more, he clamped both hands over his mouth.

"Oh, Brandon." A smile spread over Krista's face as an idea was planted. "You also have a talky problem, hm?"

He hung his head in a kind of comical way, "Yes…"

Krista tried not to over think her idea too much, she feared it might crumble any moment. But Brandon had just shed some hope on the Elliott/Helena fiasco.

"I know we've established that we're absolutely not getting married and all…" she started, hesitant as ever. "But…"

"But we could be friends? Maybe?" Brandon smiled a lot. It suited his face. "You're really something, Krista. Usually nobody sees me taking their stuff. I'm swift as a cat you know. Stealth like a puma. Undetected like a mosquito. You have surprised me. I respect that."

"Sure, friends. Yeah. But I wanted to ask a favor— or make a deal. Whatever. It would require your… gift." Krista said. He was only half right. She'd only noticed him at her feet because of some weird gut feeling— if it hadn't been for that, she'd be purse-less right now.

He tapped his chin, as in deep in thought, "I dunno Krista. I'm trying to stay away from jail. It depends on what your favor is."

"I could pay you," she blurted out. "Well— not _me _exactly. The Arendelle family. If you… if you helped me— helped _them_, they will reward you handsomely."

Interest and greed sparked in his brown eyes, "Hmm… okay, keep going. I am intrigued."

She pressed her lips together, trying to find the right way to put it. Neither Andy nor Elliott had consented to her idea— but it was a _good _idea. She knew Andy would agree in a heartbeat. Elliott was more reserved, but he'd been played by Queen Astrid already— surely he'll agree that they needed to strike back?

"It would be an undercover mission. Top secret, very dangerous." She pushed herself away from the pillar she'd previously been leaning against and got close enough to Brandon's ear to whisper, "_To the Southern Isles_."

She stepped back and held her breath, waiting for his reaction. At first he just looked confused. But slowly his signature smile spread across his lips, "Now… now _that _sounds like a challenge."

"You kinda owe me for trying to rob me, you know?"

He held up his hands, "I don't know what agenda you have against Queen Astrid. Heck, I don't even know your relation to the Arendelle family. _However_… you have poked at a very dangerous creature. And that's my curiosity."

"Are you in?"

He winked, "I promise we'll discuss this. I'll meet you here, in a week's time, to talk some more." Brandon pulled his paperboy hat back on low over his eyes, "I have my eye on something else at the moment. If all goes well and I don't go to jail or get killed— sure! Until then," he raised a hand, "See you, Krista."

She tried to stifle her disappointment by waving back, "A week's time."

It was only after he was gone that she realized that her purse with her pickaxe was missing.

* * *

**+++++ Brandon's shady, does he mean well…? You'll find out! Hahaha please don't kill me for not updating. Between writer's block and school it was impossible, and the chapter's short— but good things are coming. I think. I hope. yeah.**

**++++ Friendly reminder that the easiest way to reach me or ask me questions is thru my tumblr. I have a 'progress' bar on my ff net profile so u can check how many words, how the next chapter is going, etc. **

**+++I didn't have time to double check pls excuse any mistakes… also keep in mind that a reminder to update once in a while is fine, but a lot just stresses me out. they don't annoy me but they do get a lil irritating**

**++And a big thank you to **laney10** for drawing fanart for this story, it was really good :) if anyone's done fanart of A Brother More Like Me or for this story I'd love to see it!**

**+Leave a review if u enjoyed, and I promise I'll try to update again before the year is over.**


	15. Chapter 14

**** I'm sorry for being terrible and not updating. Reread the last chapter if you forgot where we left off :p Also maybe the first chapter if any characters get confusing.**

**also… tw #violence? #blood? be careful when reading this chap, i want ya'll to be comfortable.**

**again, very sorry for the wait.**

* * *

**Andy**

Krista came back from her date sooner than he'd anticipated.

He'd been hanging out in the courtyard with General Winter and practicing his swordplay. And by 'practicing' he really meant watching in amusement as the General beat the living heck out of the random stone statues, classic stuff like little winged cupids and a replica of that famous one with no arms. The General's sword was ice so not a lot of damage was done.

"Hey," Krista greeted, managing to look both pissed and happy. It was a fun expression for someone to have. He didn't know if he liked that she looked happy after her date with that guy.

"Hey you," he said. "How was Brandong?"

"_Brandon_ was good— great, actually," she grinned. He tried not to fume at the jealousy poking at his heart. "Did you know he's an excellent thief?"

"Um, is that code for something? I'm a little lost— move," he gently pulled her back as the General barreled past, yelling and whooping about 'stone Meltlings.' The poor snowman was probably bored out of its mind. He guided her to the stone bench at the side of the courtyard and halfheartedly encouraged her to continue talking about her date.

The General's intrusion didn't deter her from talking about the wonderful Brandohanger. "He tried to rob me at first, yeah? 'cos he didn't know it was me. He gets, like, these impulses—"

"Okay, hold on, _wait_— he tried to _rob _you? How's _that _romantic? Like at all? You find stealing worldly possessions attractive?" Andy raised his eyebrows, "I could totally do that— if you find it hot, that is."

Krista looked confused for a second before she snorted with laughter. "No! Okay— you're completely missing the point! We didn't go anywhere, it was not a proper date at all! I hired him— for his services."

"Oh, what? _Gross_. You do _not _tell that to your almost-boyfriend! What kind of services—?"

That earned him a smack on the arm. "Andy, come on. Hear me out— even if the services thing _did _come out kind of wrong… he is an excellent thief. A thief of _information_."

She dragged out the word, like it was supposed to mean something to him. Whatever it was, he didn't catch it. He was still upset about Helena and his brother. He'd had a good laugh watching the General fight the statues so passionately, but his heart still ached for Elliott and then contracted in rage about Helena and her sisters. It was all just too unfair and it made him feel a new kind of bitter.

Plus he was distracted by how nice Krista looked this fine summer day. Her blonde hair was out of a braid for once and rested just above her shoulders, he liked that it wasn't too long. Her yellow dress and the sun both brought out the gold in her brown eyes. Brown eyes in the sun man, they were like—

"Are you listening? Cause this is important! It could stop their marriage!" Krista shook his shoulder in exasperation.

The words _stop _and _marriage _almost made him jump. She immediately got his undivided attention, "Tell me."

She sighed and her cheeks were suddenly flushed, but she said "Brandon. I asked him to do a secret mission to the Southern Isles to get information— he said he'd get back to me in a week's time, but still… you know what this means?"

"I do, but it'd be sweet if you said it… out loud?" Honest to the gods he didn't know what that meant. What was this Brandon guy going to do? Steal the queen's panties? Would that be sufficient to stop this stupid wedding—

"You know the rumors about how Helena's mother killed her father, right? And then Astrid killed her own mother? Well— if Brandon found proof of _that_, I'm sure Astrid would be forced to step down. And then the girl with the scar—"

"Madeleine—uh, Maddy. Maddy would take her place," Andy finished.

Krista beamed, "Exactly!"

He didn't dare let himself get his hopes up. "But what if Maddy just wants the same as Astrid? A forced marriage?"

"And what if she doesn't?" She challenged. "She could stop this. If you ask me, she seems a lot less evil… and _fair enough_. Let's say she doesn't want to stop the marriage— the Southern Isles would be unstable-ish due to the change of having Maddy over Astrid. Hell— maybe some family fighting from the other sisters stating their own claim?"

"You're good at imaginary politics," he finally allowed a small, hopeful smile. "Oh, gods, this… this could maybe work. If nothing goes terribly wrong it could honestly actually work!"

Her smile only grew, "And during the instability of the Southern Isles we could— I mean, Elliott could… make a move. Attack first, if it comes to that?"

Andy couldn't stand it anymore. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to him into a deep, long kiss. He almost lost it when she made a soft _mm _sound against his lips.

"_One meter rule_!"

Andy was beyond startled when their kiss was rudely interrupted by General Winter's sword smacking the ground right in front of them. It effectively made Krista move away from him on the bench, at least a good twenty centimeters.

"_General_," Andy groaned in annoyance.

"This is the royal courtyard, boy," General Winter snapped. "_Not _a brothel," he whispered, expecting Krista not to hear. She did.

She scoffed, "Are you calling me a prosti—"

"No! No I didn't. I intended no offence." He gestured at Andy, "If anything, that's him."

"_Hey_!"

The General seemed embarrassed, "I must go."

Andy sighed as the General trotted away, the moment ruined. Well— not completely ruined. He was very impressed by the way Krista solved the problem— almost solved. Same thing. If anything, he put his arm around her.

"The plan is digging up the murder case of the previous Southern queen and proving it was her daughter— I love it. Love it, love it, love it. I can't wait. We should get that info as soon as possible. Where's Brandon?" Andy decided Brandon was a good guy—for now.

"He's away. He'll meet with me in a week. Let's just hope the wedding doesn't happen until then," she snuggled against his arm, obviously immensely pleased with the plan too, as she should be.

"We need to tell Elliott."

"Hmm. Maybe in a little while?"

Andy closed his eyes and let the warm summer sun roll over both of them. "Yeah."

* * *

**Elliott**

Drinking a whole bottle of wine with the Princess of the Southern Isles had never crossed his mind until it had actually happened. Now his head was spinning and the tangy taste of the drink refused to leave his mouth no matter how much he wanted to wash it away with plain water. He wasn't exactly _drunk_, but his hand coordination left much to be desired.

The word to describe Helena's state was _worryingly_ _tipsy_. She kept giggling a lot and bad-mouthing each of her sisters every chance she got in a slurred mess. He didn't know half the people she was bashing. Familiar names kept popping up like 'Maddy, Sophia and Sonja,' but others he was clueless about. He kept reminding himself she was the _thirteenth _sister. She had a whole family of people he didn't know—people who would soon be _his _family, too.

It was terrifying to think about. He would become someone's brother-in-law, a cousin, an uncle… to people he refused to allow himself to like. Some kid would become his forced _nephew_. He only ever wanted to be an uncle for Andy's children, not Helena's sisters. Astrid wasn't just forcing an union between two people; she was joining two families. Granted Elliott's was a small one, but it was still his own. The troubling thoughts cleared his mind if only for a moment.

"I've got to go," he stood up suddenly. "I will tell Astrid I accept."

Helena pouted. "But we're getting to know one another."

A sort of panic started creeping up his throat. "We have a whole lifetime for that," the words tasted more sour than the wine. "I won't be long."

"I hope Cristina doesn't show up at the wedding," Helena mused, quickly losing interest in him. "I'd hate for that bitch to—"

Head pounding, Elliott exited the room. He ran a hand through his blond hair which was getting alarmingly long. He didn't actually want to face Astrid's smug face until he absolutely _had _to. He had until sunset to do that. But the longer he put it off, the more anxious and stressed he would get. _Let's just get it over with_.

* * *

It wasn't hard to find the Queen of the Southern Isles. Pretty much everyone in his castle made it a point to be aware of Astrid's location at all times as to avoid her. He could sense they were scared of her. _Better her than me_, he figured.

The tall blonde woman had pretty much made herself at home in one of the guest rooms. Her fancy gowns and random papers already littered her room, she'd got right to unpacking. The walk here had been torture to him, and the dread had pretty much fought away the effects of the wine which hadn't been that strong anyway.

Astrid and 'Maddy' were on the balcony, eating cakes he didn't remember sending or offering to them. _Right at home_. 'Maddy' (he wasn't sure if he should call her by the nickname or her full name) seemed surprised to see him and the scar on her face stretched out when she smiled politely. Astrid didn't even bother to look up. "King Elliott, hello," the princess said.

He inclined his head as he approached their table. "Lady Madeleine," he greeted.

"So? Have you decided?" the queen asked. No formalities. This was business. Maddy gestured at a third chair (like they'd been expecting him) but he remained standing.

"I have," he said. He sighed through his nose, "And I do. I accept." His jaw tightened, "I will marry Helena."

Astrid allowed a cat-like smile to spread across her face, the victory too sweet to attempt to hide. "I'm glad you're starting to see things my way, King Elliott."

Standing there alone was humiliating enough, and the queen trying not to gloat made his insides boil. He shifted his eyes to Madeleine who had a look of pity. Elliott swallowed hard. He couldn't decide which reaction he hated more.

"You will be married within the fortnight, if that's okay with you, Your Grace," Astrid continued. "We do not wish for the strain between our families to become worse."

_Two weeks_. It felt like being given a death sentence. It wasn't exactly _because _of Helena. It was more about Astrid. He was a _king _whose hand had been forced by a woman— a very powerful woman, but it still didn't make him any less bitter. His only comfort was that his people, the people of Arendelle— they would be safe. They would get food, supplies, the summer festival. No war. And that was what was important.

"That's fine by me," he replied in a clipped tone.

"Excellent. Then we'll begin preparations immediately," the queen finally looked up to meet his gaze. The arrogance in her blue eyes made frost spread between the fingers of his clenched hands. "After all, it is customary for the bride's family to pay for the wedding."

"Of course, Queen Astrid," Elliott said. He took a step backwards, "Well, if there's not anything else…"

"Actually, there is." Astrid said. "Helena's coronation as your Queen? I wanted to ask if you wanted it to happen during the wedding ceremony or after?"

It took a lot of self-control for him not to snarl. It had kind of slipped his mind. He'd been so focused on thinking of Helena as his _wife _alone he hadn't even had time to think of her as his _queen_. The queen of his people. Ruling alongside him—

"During," he snapped before his thoughts could spiral out of control and cause a storm right there on the balcony. So far his powers were behaving, but the woman was pushing him. "I don't particularly mind."

"Okay then. Don't you worry about preparations. We'll be taking care of it, the whole thing." The queen's smile was too sweet and her eyes too bright and Elliott wasn't a violent person, but she just—

"Excuse me." He cut her off and left straightaway, a trail of ice following in his wake.

* * *

**Maddy**

"He hates you," Maddy said in awe, staring at the already melting ice the king had left after his angry exit. She forced her eyes away and looked at her sister, "He deeply, truly hates you."

"What he feels towards me has no relevance. He can pout and he can yell and he can throw tantrums— I do not care. He's agreed to the wedding and that's all that matters," her sister grabbed one of the Arendellan cakes, less sugary than the ones at home but just as good. "I've won."

Typical of Astrid to sing victory too early. Elliott had two weeks to foil her plans. Secretly, Maddy hoped he would. She wasn't exactly rooting for Anders and Elliott, but she sure as hell wasn't rooting for Astrid even if she did represent their country. The queen wasn't only hurting the two brothers, Helena was bound to suffer as well. They were marrying her off like she was cattle. After Maddy's talk with Katherine, she felt strangely protective of the girl.

"I want _you _on your best behavior," Astrid said suddenly, sharply. Maddy was immediately dragged out of her thoughts. The smugness was gone from her sister's face and was replaced by a fierce warning.

"Me?" she asked. A-B-R-U-P-T mood swing much?

"Yes, _you_," Astrid's voice was tight and ugly. "Don't you dare think I don't remember your betrayal, sweet sister. On the last coronation _you _attended, well— need I get into details?"

It hit her like a ton of bricks, what Astrid meant. _'The last coronation _you _attended'_... years ago. The coronation from that guy from the Eastern Isles, the guy their parents had wanted Astrid to marry to unite their kingdoms. Maddy felt her cheeks get warm with shame and anger. The scar on her face seemed to throb, though it was impossible. That wound had healed…

"I forgave you of course. How could I not? Since then you've become my closest confidant… but I warn you, Madeleine, and _heed my words_," her sister's cold face and voice pinned her in place like a cat would a mouse. "If you do anything— _anything_ at all that may interfere with me getting Arendelle— you will _pay_. It will not be only your face this time. It will be your life. Your husband's life. Anything you love." By the end of her threat Astrid was breathing heavily. "Do I make myself clear?"

All Maddy could do was nod her understanding. Her head was spinning, her sister's words had triggered the memory of that night inside her head and it kept replaying, over and over. An embarrassing whimper was the only sound that left her throat. The deep line on her face felt warm and as if it were fresh, with blood and tears—

"You don't look well," and just as fast, Astrid's demeanor changed. Concern clouded her features. "I'll get you some water."

She must've looked extremely upset for Astrid to offer to go herself and not just bark for some of the castle staff. Once alone, she allowed for the shaking to start. These episodes that were not quite panic attacks had happened often when she was younger. The trauma her older sister had inflicted upon her had haunted her for years growing up to her adult life. They'd fully stopped a while after she married Josef, but now, for some reason, the flashback was assaulting her once more.

She closed her eyes and let it.

_The memory brought on a tidal wave of emotions._

_It was her darkest secret, the lowest moment in her life. For a couple of seconds it had been the greatest moment. But it only lasted that; a couple of seconds. Then it all went downhill._

_Maybe explaining things from the beginning would be best._

_Back then there weren't thirteen sisters. They were five. Astrid, obviously, the eldest. Maddy. The feverish toddler Cecile, who needed intensive care at all times just to stay alive. The twins Olivia and Emilia, who were newborns at the time. So in a sense, it was just Maddy and Astrid, on their early teens. Wild little girls, they were. Maddy more than Astrid._

_The second princess wasn't meant to marry Joseph when she was young. She was promised to another, a man whose name she'd swore to forget. When the then-ruler of the Southern Isles, their mother, announced their betrothal Maddy was high on glee. He was older than her at the time and He soon became her whole world. He was even handsomer than Astrid's then-fiancé, the prince of the Eastern Isles and Maddy could not be happier. Even better, He was heir to his own nation. Maddy would never be Queen with Astrid on the way, so her marriage to Him would guarantee her to be queen on His._

_He liked her, too. They would ride horses together and have picnics and do all sorts of things— she counted down the days to her eighteenth birthday when they'd finally be able to marry. It was years away— but it would be worth it._

_One day, He pointed out how she was prettier than Astrid. Smarter. Kinder._

_"Her hair's like barn straw and she has the sense of humor of a donkey," He would say, and she would laugh and agree. "Your hair's like fire, Maddy. Silky and beautiful. And your smile— so gorgeous." It was all fun and flattering until he said… _it_._

_"You would make a _much _better queen than Astrid ever would_."

_Years later she'd wonder if that had been the moment. The moment she started doubting Astrid, the moment she decided that she agreed with Him. From then on his comments turned to whispers about power— plots against Astrid._

_"You could be queen of both places— the Southern Isles and my home, love. Think about it."_

_She was too young to realize the manipulation taking place. The way He was egging her on. She was too naïve to know back then, everything He said sounded like the absolute truth to her ears. The empty daydreams soon started to turn into a reality as His words gained influence over her. Astrid didn't help her sister's growing jealousy, she actually fueled the fire that was catching inside. _

_She outshined Maddy in everything they did and hoarded their father's affections. If Maddy learned to ride a horse, Astrid was already jumping obstacles. If they were doing needlework, Maddy would be working on getting the thread inside the needle and Astrid would have already completed a masterpiece. And Astrid knew it. How she gloated and rubbed it in— mocked her too. She couldn't breathe._

_The father of Astrid's then-fiancé died, and they were going to crown her boyfriend as king of the Eastern Isles. They were invited to the coronation. The Westergard family attended— and so did He._

_He was relentlessness with his plotting now— and a lot more open. He would not stop whispering at her during the coronation ceremony, and then during the party all of his careful scheming seemed to bloom when in a moment of crazed impulse Maddy stole a steak knife._

_"I will get her alone," she told Him. _

_"Good," He'd smiled. "We're on this together. I will join you soon. Keep it safe, and when the time comes, give me the knife and I will do it."_

_"Together," she echoed. And He kissed her._

_She asked Astrid that they walk the gardens together, away from the party, and she said yes. They went inside the hedge maze taller than they were and wandered about._

_"Can you believe it? He's king now. And when we marry, I will be his queen." Astrid said as they walked. "Queen of the Eastern-Southern Isles. I'm loving the sound of it. If only he wasn't such a weak, boring boy."_

_The conversation was one-sided, and Astrid didn't care if Maddy replied or not. As always she was too self-absorbed in herself to notice that her sister had murder in her heart._

_"It'll be lovely anyway. We'll unite both kingdoms, and become unstoppable. The North and the West Isles will join in when my children marry theirs— one big, powerful nation!" they stopped in the middle of the hedge maze. The only light, the only witness, was the moon._

_Astrid sensed something was off. She looked at Maddy with her shiny, shiny blue eyes. "Sister?"_

_She had not time to wait for Him. This ended _now_. "You are no sister of mine."_

_And she lunged._

_She should have known. She should have known. Astrid was better at everything. Astrid knew everything. Maddy barely nicked her sister's chin with the point of the knife before she was flat on her back, Astrid's whole weight pinning her down and the knife on _her _hand._

_"I knew it," Astrid snarled right on her face. "You and that boy— he poisoned your mind. We were friends, Madeleine. And now you've betrayed me."_

_Maddy was crying and trying to throw her sister off of her but she couldn't. Astrid was using the same voice she'd used before she'd viciously beat that one rat to death with an iron poker down on the dungeons when they had gone exploring their father's castle._

_"P-Please," Maddy yelled for help buy her plea was ignored, and Astrid grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it inside her mouth to silence her. The furious blonde could keep her waist pinned down to the ground with her legs alone, and that left Astrid's hands free._

_"Don't you dare. You brought this on yourself, fucking traitor—" the moon's light caught on the knife's reflection as Astrid raised it, "What were you going to do with this, huh? Stab me? Through the heart? On my brain?"_

_Maddy screamed and tried not to choke on the dirt or on her tears— this had been a terrible mistake. The worst. He was supposed to be here. Where was He? Had He abandoned her? Again Maddy tried to squirm out of from under Astrid, but the older teen was determined to keep her in place and all her struggles were useless._

_Instead of putting her out of her misery, Astrid lowered the knife and pressed the blade right below her eye, the coldness making her stop jerking. If she moved, she would be cut. Of all things, the regret was gnawing at her gut the hardest. This was her sister. How could Maddy have tried to do this? Why had she picked Him over her own blood?_

_"You deserve this. I should— I should—" Astrid's voice shook, from rage or sadness Maddy couldn't tell and didn't care. She was terrified. Even if her sister seemed to be hesitating, she was going to die. She was sure. Maddy would be dead._

_"You wanted to become queen, didn't you? That's why…" Astrid screamed at her. She pressed the knife harder, drawing blood. All Maddy could do was whimper and pray in her mind to any god that would listen. "That's why, that's why, that's why! My throne! MINE."_

_Maddy didn't know why her sister cared so much about the reason. Maddy's hands were also free and she knew trying to punch her sister off was pointless, so she tried to pry the blade away from being so close to her eye. _

_"No!" Astrid screeched and bashed the side of Maddy's head with the handle of the knife. Maddy cried out and spat out the dirt, her right hand flying to her temple. Her fingers came back wet with blood._

_"Please don't kill me. Please, please, please. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She was down to begging and more afraid than before if that was at all possible. Through her tears she could see Astrid's red face, her previously neat hair was disheveled and hanging around her, adding to the murderous look she had. Her blue eyes shone… with tears? Another pang of regret stabbed her heart. The look on Astrid's face wasn't so much anger. It spelled H-U-R-T._

_Maddy was shocked she hadn't gone into cardiac arrest with the way her heart was beating crazily on her chest. Astrid looked down at her, her face suddenly a mask. No snarl, just a still line that was her lips. Even her eyes gave away nothing._

_"Astrid…" Maddy couldn't even raise her voice at the end to make it seem like a question._

_"I will choose to believe it was His idea," her sister said almost casually. "You're pardoned."_

_Maddy didn't let relief fill her, because her sister wasn't done. She saw Astrid's fingers tighten around the handle of the knife— the butt of it was dripping with the blood from her temple. _

_"However… you must learn a lesson." She leaned down. "A permanent lesson."_

_"Astrid please don't. Please. I'll do anything— don't do this," Maddy's voice was breathy with fear and it was as thin as a line. T-E-R-R-O-R didn't even cover what she was feeling. "I'M SORRY!"_

_"If you move.. if you speak.. I'll do it again. Again and again." Astrid said slowly, completely deaf to her sister's voice, "Until your pretty little face is striped completely red. Do I make myself clear?"_

_Maddy sobbed as Astrid brought down the knife to the spot she'd previously cut, right below her eye. The coldness bit into her skin and Astrid took her sweet time dragging it down. Maddy made the mistake of instinctively trying to move her face away, which only caused Astrid to grip her chin in place with her free hand."I said _no moving."

_It cost her. Instead of stopping at her cheek, Astrid cut all the way down to her chin. Every second was agony. She would rather be dead. She would rather be dead._

_"A permanent lesson," Astrid repeated, and she leaned away to study her handiwork. Maddy didn't dare breathe. Her sister then used her index finger to run it down the fresh cut, pressing on the sensitive flesh and making her scream. She could feel the warm blood seeping out._

_"Maddy?"_

_It was Him. But He was too late._

_A predator-like smile appeared on her sister's face. "Stay down, sweet sister," she said. Her sister's weight left her and she could breathe again. She didn't dare touch her own face, even if it hurt like hell and it was burning. She ought to stop the bleeding— but she couldn't bring herself to. Somewhere out of her eye reach her sister confronted her lover. Maddy could only see the stars._

_His voice was like a slap to the face. "What the hell?"_

_"Listen here horse-face. You're going to leave right now. Right this second. And you will never show your sorry face around me or my sister again." Astrid's voice yelling at Him. There was a grunt. She had shoved Him. Maddy remained on the ground, letting the salty tears sting the cut. "If you try to contact her— and I'll know if you fucking do— you will not live to see twenty-one."_

_"Is that a threat? Why's she laying down over there? Maddy? What did you do to her—"_

_Another grunt, followed by the _**shing **_of the knife slicing across the air. She hadn't cut him but she was making it very clear she would. "It's more than a threat. It's a promise. I am sparing your pathetic self only for today. And you better pray out paths never cross. Get on the first fucking boat you see and leave us _now. _If you don't, I'll have my beloved throw you for the dogs to eat. LEAVE!"_

_Maddy knew that by 'her beloved' she meant the prince—now king— of the Eastern Isles. And by the heavy sound of boots pounding on the ground she knew He was doing that. Leaving her. Running away._

_Astrid came back and stared down at her, her lip curled. "You will tell mother and father that He did this. He assaulted and disrespected you, but I stopped him. If you do not, I will tell them the truth. And they won't ever want to see you again. Now, get up."_

_That was the last thing in the world that she wanted to do. _

_But she did anyway._

_When He was gone her parents were disappointed and they thought it was something she'd done to make him mad. He'd been a fine boy, they'd said, heir to becoming someone and now that was over for her. They found Josef for her instead, the youngest brother of five but he was kind and tall like a bear. Plus, he didn't talk about overthrowing anybody. _

_Astrid changed. The rivalry between them was larger than ever and she didn't speak to her kindly for over a year. They stopped sharing a room and Maddy was moved to the other side of the castle, her new room on another tower where Cecile's room also was. Astrid broke off her engagement with the Eastern Isles king, claiming that she "could not trust anybody."_

_Maddy had changed, too. Half her face was bandaged for weeks and she burst into tears every time Astrid entered the same room. And when they peeled the bandages away, the deep, thin scar was all that remained from the most traumatic night of her short existence._

_A permanent reminder._

A permanent lesson.

* * *

**I know I've asked before about Elliott/Helena becoming a thing, and last time I decided… **_**not **_**to. But I think it's time to ask again. It was mainly because so many people were neutral on it, and the people against it put up good arguments. But the characters do have a lot of chemistry, and I think it has a chance of working, maybe… tho I could still leave Elliott single. I just wanna know what the readers think!**

**Hans/Elsa from the original movie is a sort of crackship that would probably never work in my humble opinion. But my characters are different from them, this genderbent version is its own thing, I like to think… and don't worry, the relationship will not affect the plot/story like at all. It's still going to end the way I always intended it to, Helsa or not.**

**So I think I'm going to have to ask for another vote. _No neutrality this time_. **_**YES or NO**_**. I'm down either way, and this time it's democracy and majority wins, okay? Strong arguments also help.**

**Thank you for reading! :)**

****18/01/15 EDIT!**

**Oookay guys, I thought this went unsaid, but I suppose now I'll have to be explicit: _spamming votes on Guest does not count as a vote_. _I thought _this would have been assumed but apparently not. If you have an account, _use it_. Don't send 50 reviews on anonymous saying the same thing 'cause _I know it's you_. I can totally tell i'm not stupid?**


	16. Chapter 15

**ANDY**

Andy could not wait to share Krista's plan with his brother.

The more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself that it _would work_. If it went well, Elliott wouldn't have to get married to Helena. The Southern Isles would leave them alone at long last. They would be _free_.

If Brandon, Krista's not-entirely-fiancé- agreed to do the mission. To prove that Queen Astrid had had a hand in her own mother's death/assassination/whatever. It would throw Helena's homeland into political turmoil. There would, hopefully, be a new queen. Astrid would step down— if the gods were good, the punishment would be exile and they would never have to see the vicious woman ever again.

Unfortunately, his brother was proving to be very difficult to find. The last time he'd Elliott, he'd said he would agree to the marriage, just as the princess burst in with tears in her eyes. That had made Andy uncomfortable enough to make him leave. The sun was gone, it had been _hours _since that. Andy hoped not much had changed since then, that Elliott hadn't gone and done something _stupid _like say _yes_. _He hoped_. Lately, he'd been feeling that a lot. Hopeful.

He jogged down the main hall in a very unprincely- manner. Chances were his brother was probably in his own bedchamber—

He heard the soft sound of feet dragging against the carpet behind him and immediately stopped. The prince listened, trying to guess who they belonged to— perhaps to Elliott— but no. They didn't sound heavy enough. In fact, it sounded like the owner wasn't trying to be heard at all.

Andy waited for them to get closer until they were face-to-face. It was Helena's sister— er, the one that wasn't Astrid. Madeleine… _Maddy_. Yeah, Maddy.

"Hey— hey, sorry, excuse me— have you seen my brother?"

Madeleine Westergard looked exhausted. Andy's eyes briefly flickered to the scar down her face, which looked even scarier at dusk— okay, maybe the word wasn't _scary_. Maybe striking. Yeah, striking to look at. He forced his eyes away to meet her gaze.

"I have not," Was her curt reply. She seemed… distracted. Andy considered asking if she was okay until he remembered that it was none of his business and he didn't _really _have to know. He was probably staring too intently at her, because the princess noticed. "You look anxious, Prince Anders." Her blue eyes, almost black in the dying light, narrowed. "The good kind of anxious… almost excited?"

"M-Me? Excited? About what?" he stammered. Was the hopefulness in his face _that _obvious? Was Krista's plan so clear on his features? Maybe so. It was almost impossible for his freckly face to be as stoic as Elliott's could sometimes be. He should work on that…

"Perhaps you're looking forward to the wedding," Maddy smiled, but it was miles away from reaching her eyes, it looked so forced and painful. "To us becoming… _family_." She said the last word like it was a death sentence. Her long, slender fingers reached up to her own face— absentmindedly touching the scar.

He tried not to flinch, "Mm. Yeah. The wedding… I'm sorry, Lady Madeleine, but, uh… does your face… does it hurt?"

She blinked out of her trance and immediately dropped her arm. "No— No. I…sometimes when I'm upset it burns— never mind. Ah, really, forget you saw that."

_Upset at her family? _Andy finally noticed how she was really alone. No Astrid or Southern Isles guards in sight. Did they have a fight? Was it big enough to play a part on Krista's scheme?

"My lady?" Andy said before his brain could catch up to what his impulsive mouth was saying. "Are you unwell?"

The second-born princess of the Isles forced another polite smile, stretching the thin scar over her otherwise lovely face, "I am fine, Prince Anders. Thank you for your concern... truly."

She was dismissive but not unkind, and it left Andy uneasy, his curious and helping nature kicking in. Part of him felt like he had to know what was bothering Helena's older sister and to fix it, but the stronger part of him insisted that he didn't care. He _shouldn't care_. But why did he?

"You look pale and, uh..." He tried to look anywhere but at the scarred part of her face. "I...if there's anything you need, anything I can..."

"Really. I am okay," she insisted, only confirming Andy's suspicion that she was in fact _not okay_. "I just... had an unpleasant flashback of a part of my life I'd rather forget, is all."

His eyes immediately landed on the one part of her face he wasn't supposed to look at. Had she been having nightmares about how she got it?

"It-It's not my place to say," he stammered out before his dumb mouth could be stopped again, "But if you really, _really_ wish to forget a particular memory...I, um... I have some troll friends that could be of some help? If you'd like?"

He meant Krista's troll family that had erased his memories of Elliott's magic so long ago when he was little. He still wasn't completely sure he forgave his parents for doing that, but sharing the information with the tortured soul of a foreign princess couldn't hurt... right?

Maddy's mouth made a pretty 'o' shape of surprise, and just then did Andy notice how stupid his sentence had sounded out loud. But before he could amend his poor choice of words, the princess nodded firmly, "Yes, my husband Josef has... mentioned those trolls, and their magic. Earth magic- not unlike your brother's ice one."

Andy pressed his lips together, suddenly afraid he'd said too much. Would Maddy tell Queen Astrid about the trolls? If they somehow hurt Krista's family because of him—

"However, I don't think I'll be seeking them out anytime soon," she said, to Andy's great relief. Her blue eyes, same shade as Astrid's but somehow less hostile, shone with sadness. "Some memories are best left alone."

"_Agreed_," Andy's shoulders slumped, free of the tension he felt from a few seconds before.

The second-born children stared at each other with newfound interest. Maddy was like him. She hadn't been born to be queen. That role had already been taken by someone else, the heir. But Elliott had been a good older brother, a fantastic one— until the _whole freeze-your-head-accidentally_ business. Astrid just... didn't seem the type. But the scar... Andy prayed his assumptions about it were wrong. Astrid _did_ seem like the type that would... The prince shook his head, clearing his suddenly dark thoughts.

_Stop trying to relate to her_, he scolded himself.

He had a plan, he had a goal; and it was to share the new strategy with Elliott. To tell him about Krista's idea and Brandon's involvement. Andy forced himself to stay focused on his task.

He saluted with two fingers like an idiot before his etiquette training could reel him back. "_Anyway.._. Have a good evening— night? I don't even know."

The princess smiled, again forced. "Late evening. The Northern Lights of your country do not cross the skies yet— so it's not night."

"R-Right! What you said!" he offered her another polite smile, praying he didn't look anymore suspicious than he already did.

He took off running, a bewildered Southern Isles princess stared as he fled.

* * *

The door to Elliott's room was coated in a thin layer of ice, already dripping from the heat, creating a puddle at the bottom.

_He's in there_, Andy realized.

The prince's face flushed with apprehension as he knocked on the door three times, his own flashbacks plaguing his mind. How many times in over eighteen years had he knocked on this very door only to get no reply? The damn piece of wood still made him nervous about rejection and reminded him of their mutual isolation.

The last time he knocked had been after their parents' funeral... almost three years ago?

His customary '_Do you want to build a snowman_?' Almost left his mouth without his permission. Instead, he asked "Elliott?"

For a tense moment, nothing happened. Then, softly, his brother's voice. "_I'm in here_."

Andy's already fried nerves intensified at Elliott's tone of voice. The mix of anger and hopelessness that those three simple words carried somehow traveled through the door and punched Andy right between the eyes. Hearing him sound like that, it made his own heart break.

He opened the door hesitant as ever, "It's me, uh... I'm coming in. That okay?"

An answer never came, so Andy just pushed the door open and let himself in. The room hadn't changed if at all. The four poster bed with the blue canopy was the same, with simple furnishings and barely any decoration. It was a stark contrast to Andy's room which always looked like it had been assaulted by a hurricane.

The king of Arendelle lay on a cushioned chair like a kicked puppy, with his head back and staring blankly at the ceiling. All this pity-party image that he had created needed was a little cloud over his head similar to General Winter's and he'd be set. Maybe even some tissues.

Andy knew his thinking was cruel, but Elliott's reaction was infuriating. He wasn't married yet. The Southern Isles weren't invading them yet. The end of the world wasn't here _yet_. But his brother acted like it was.

"I did it," Elliott spoke directly to his ceiling.

"You did what?" Andy said calmly, patiently. He had been harsh to dismiss Elliott's feelings earlier inside his head. Of course he was taking this so... so personally. It was his life, and for him, it _was_ the end of the world. He had every right to act like this.

"I did it, Andy. I— I said yes. I went and I told Astrid I accept her demands." Elliott finally forced his gaze away from looking at nothingness and to look into Andy's sea-green eyes. "I will marry Helena."

"What?! No! You can't! We—" "

"We've been over this. I wish things could be different— "

"_You don't understand_—

"My duty—"

"JUST LISTEN!"

Both brothers stopped talking over each other. Andy's outburst surprised them both, and for a second the youngest of them looked embarrassed at silencing the king, but then he took it on stride. "Krista has come up with a plan— _a really good plan_. Our only chance, I think."

He grabbed the matching small cushioned chair like Elliott's and dragged it across the room to talk to his brother face-to-face.

"There's no stopping her, Andy," Elliott was too clouded by misery to _really_ listen. "Astrid's greedy sight has been set on Arendelle and we cannot possibly hope—"

Andy had temporarily forgot his brother's fatal flaw; his nobleness and sacrificing nature. Sometimes endearing but right now very annoying. How Elliott put others before himself, that as long as everyone else was okay, he thought it was acceptable that he wasn't.

"Holy baloney Elliott, please! Stop! Stop!"

At least it distracted him from his self-pity, because Elliott's face fell into one of confusion. "Holy baloney?"

"It's an expression!" The prince quickly defended. "And you're _not _listening to me!"

Andy had just sat down, so of course Elliott had shot up to his feet and began pacing, his hands clasped behind his back in worry. "She's forcing this so it happens sooner. Astrid said two weeks— but that doesn't make any sense, the Summer Festival will be happeni— _oh_. She _wants _it to be during the festival! That's why she's pushing it to be so early!"

"What? The wedding?" Andy asked.

"_Yes_. Oh my gods. Since the Southern Isles are going to help finance the Festival— what_ better_ way to end it than with a royal wedding? Astrid wants the transition to be easy. You know, she'll be all generous, giving food and supplies—" an icicle shot out from Elliott's open palm and landed against the paneling of the wall with a _thunk_. Neither brother cared. "— and since they already all but _adore _Helena, they won't protest, there'll be no opposition… _GODS_!"

Andy pretended to be fixated on his nails, "You done over there?"

Elliott's eyes widened as he finally looked at his brother, _really _looked and 100% acknowledged his presence, "How dare—"

"I've been _trying _to tell you something for the past five minutes, but you're _so _used to dealing with things on your own that you won't let anyone help you! Well, guess what! I'm here _now _and I'm going to help!" Andy stood up on the chair and glared down at his older brother, whose hands had snowflakes raining down from them. Usually, he'd feel bad about trying to intimidate his brother into _anything _but _if he only listened for two seconds_…

"I know you're upset, yeah. I totally get it. _But_! Krista found a crack. You ready for this? We're baking up a plan." Andy said, pouring as much confidence as he could into his words. "Okay. Look. You know the rumors about how Astrid killed her own mother to get the throne, right? _Well_. If we found proof of that, then—"

Elliott's lips parted in surprise, "— you could accuse her of regicide. _Plus _matricide."

A lot of _cide's_ there, but at least Andy understood 'regicide' was for killing a king / queen, and matricide for killing a… parent? Yeah, for killing a _mother. _The other word for it, _patricide_, that was for killing a father.

"Yes! Krista knows this guy, _Brandon_. He's apparently very good at getting information. We were thinking he could help us out," Andy stepped down from the chair, hoping Elliott wouldn't notice he'd left some mud tracks on it from his boots. But his brother didn't care about the chair. No, right then his blue eyes shone with admiration— admiration aimed at _him¸ _Andy. The prince couldn't help it when his chest puffed up a little bit with pride.

"If this Brandon could prove it, then…" Elliott's whole body language changed, and his face it up with something that inspired greatness. "Astrid's birthright would become invalid, last I checked… stripped of all titles… and the throne would pass on to Madeleine!"

"_In theory_," Andy cut in, his previous hype was returning. Planning to overthrow a person was actually really exciting. "What we're hoping is that, seeing as Helena's sisters are a bunch of sharks, that they'll fight over queen-hood— or whatever. The Southern Isles will split between supporters for each sister and… yeah. Civil war!"

A crooked yet handsome smile spread across the face of Arendelle's king. "That's… that's actually really good. I mean— if we can pull it off."

Andy smiled right back. _We_. He'd said _we_. He was in!

* * *

**ELLIOTT**

It was amazing how just hours before he'd been talking to _Helena _of all people about consummating marriages and about submissively accepting his fate— and now he was talking about overthrowing the evil mastermind whose plans they had been in the first place.

What Andy said made sense— or at least, Elliott _wanted _for it to make sense. He desperately wanted it to. The logical side of his brain was barking out all the flaws with Andy's plans— but the bigger part of him clung to this crazy idea, like a man drowning at sea. _If _this was going to work they would have to plan it _perfectly_.

"Of course we can pull it off," Andy said, his dimpled smile provided some reassurance. "Look, Brandon is coming back in one week, and we'll figure out all the little details—"

"Wait, you mean… this Brandon _doesn't even know_? He hasn't even _agreed_? And you're pinning all our plans on _that_?" Elliott's perfect mental bubble of short-lived happiness burst immediately. Like Queen Astrid herself had jabbed it with her long fingernails.

Andy winced, _his _bubble getting a puncture too. But he quickly seemed to tape it up with another smile, "It's okay! He owes Krista a favor, he'll do it. And… look, even if he doesn't… we could send, say, a team of three people to the Southern Isles and have 'em find the information we want."

Elliott leaned against the bedpost of his bed, his gaze fixed on the setting sun over the window. He'd allowed himself to get excited, he'd let Andy's enthusiasm cloud his rational thoughts. If this plan were a cake, it just got burned.

"What if… the information doesn't even _exist_? What if Astrid covered her tracks well? Then _what_?" Elliott didn't want to, but he'd just landed _another _hole to Andy's plan. He pried his eyes away from the window and to Andy's face.

"But _it will_," he said between gritted teeth. Elliott raised an eyebrow. "We'll find something! Maybe… maybe Maddy knows."

The king was tired of playing devil's advocate, but he had to. All the glaring flaws on the plan had to be fixed, mistakes corrected before they even happened. Only _then _would Elliott begin to look for the sunshine amid all of the terrible weather.

"You think she could become our ally?" Elliott asked.

Andy seemed to think about it, long and hard, and eventually… he nodded. "Yes."

Elliott scoffed, "What makes you think she'd turn against her own sister?"

" 'Cause I think she tried to, once. When she got the, uh…" Andy gestured at his own smooth skin. Where there was a scar on Princess Maddy's face. "I think Astrid did that. We spoke about it briefly in the hallway. Kind of… it was implied? Maybe I read too much into— _No_! I _am _sure."

_Would she, though? Plot against her own sister? _Elliott tried to recall his earlier meeting with Astrid, when he'd all but snarled that he agreed to her demands. Maddy had been there. Had there been any hint, any indication…?

Elliott tried to swallow the dryness in his throat. They were putting too much hope into _ifs _and _maybes_. He wanted hard, concrete _facts_. He _needed _them. Or else, he wouldn't move a finger against Astrid. Unless he was absolutely certain they could _win_. "Okay, that's one ally, Madeleine… how about… Helena?"

The name immediately made his brother's eyes narrow and his jaw clench. "_Absolutely not_. We're doing this to _oppose _her, remember? Including her would king of defeat the purpose."

"I spoke to her earlier, too. Trust me when I say— she's _not _happy about this arrangement anymore than I am."

Andy seemed to choke on his own indignation before he growled out, "_Not happy_? This is what she wanted! From the beginning! She wanted…" he pointed to Elliott's whole self.

He remember the talk he'd had earlier with the thirteenth princess. Her exact words _'Why don't you fight her? How come you're just giving in_?' Somehow, _that _sounded rebellious enough. Besides— what did she have to lose by joining them? It was either this plan or the marriage. And he already knew how she felt about _that_.

"Andy, I talked to her. She was like _you_, completely against the union. She wanted me to _fight _Astrid, to start a war over this. And excuse me if I quote you incorrectly, but you once said 'They owe _us_'. Helena may honor that. If she is seeking our forgiveness… then I see no better way for her to get it," Elliott said, all in one big, ridiculous leap of faith. He was vouching for the girl who almost put a sword through his back.

After his talk with Astrid, he'd begrudgingly agreed that Helena had not _really _been to blame for Andy's frozen heart. She'd _left _him, yes. But she had also kissed him. The fact that it hadn't been a 'true love's kiss,' was the problem. Otherwise, his brother would have been fine. Andy's frozen heart had been entirely Elliott's fault. If not for Andy's sacrifice, had he not put himself in front of that sword…

Elliott shook his head, his head suddenly pounding with the familiar feeling of _guilt_. Andy must've seen it on his face, because he relented. "_Fine_. But if she betrays us —_yet again_— I am not responsible for what I'll allow General Winter to do to—"

"Point taken, threat ignored," the corner of Elliott's mouth quirked up into a half-smile. Even angry Andy managed to be like an adorable puppy. "And, yeah, trust me— if Helena betrays us I'll be the first to turn her into an ice cube."

Andy nodded his approval before the light mood dropped down to gloomy, murder-mystery-investigation-planning again. "Brandon will be here in a week, and we'll pull up a perfect plan, yeah?"

"If he's here in a week, that just leaves _another _week till the wedding." The clock now counting down in Elliott's head made him nervous. "Do you really think—? There'll be time to sail to the Southern Isles and back? Even if Maddy or Helena confirm our claim that Astrid killed their mother— we'll need some solid proof. And I seriously doubt they carry it around in their pockets."

Andy raised his arm "I volunteer to go to the Isles and get the evidence myself. Krista can come too— and obviously Brandon. And, uh, maybe General Winter, just in case?"

"You'll leave me all alone?" He'd meant to make it sound like a joke, but the hurt overwhelmed the jest. And he felt extremely reluctant about letting his brother just go on a merry voyage to a country that could very well become their enemy.

His brother's arm dropped and he shook his head, "True. The General stays here. Krista, Brandon, and I will go in a small party. We'll figure out some fast transportation later. I'm _sure _the trolls can come up with something. And… and tomorrow, we should ask Helena and Maddy to join the alliance. No time to lose!"

What terrified him was either of them betraying their plans to Astrid. He didn't really expect it from Helena since half of what she said was pure undeterred hate towards her sisters. But Maddy… she was so quiet, and her eyes showed nothing, he didn't know how she would react if— _when, _he corrected himself—they asked her. Start screaming bloody murder? Or happily join their plot? It drove him nuts to think about. For starters they didn't even _really _know if the scar on her face was Astrid's doing.

"Hm. Very well." Elliott nodded before another small concern popped up, "Wait, even if you _do _accomplish everything you say, by the time you return to Arendelle… the wedding day will be _here_. I'll be _hours _from the altar, if not _minutes_. The timeline's very tight… you'll literally have to storm in, prove beyond doubt that Astrid's responsible for the murder, _and _have Maddy or another sister backing you up with their own claim so Astrid doesn't have her army or anyone to fall back into."

Andy said nothing, but held up a scrap of paper, his face as serious as he'd ever seen it.

Elliott squinted at it, "What's that—"

"My list. _Our _ list," his brother held it up to the light so the king could see. He recognized Andy's lazy scrawl of handwriting immediately. It was the infamous 'Things Elliot And I Will Do At All Costs', right there on print. Elliott couldn't help but smile a little bit. He'd never actually seen the physical copy of the list. The small paper reflected on Andy's personality. The corners were torn and there were blotches of ink everywhere; with various sentences crossed out replaced by new ideas. There was tiny writing on the margins too, even a little doodle on the corner—

Elliott felt a pang of guilt. He'd completely forgot about this. The sleepovers and the horseracing and the baking and all his promises. In his defense, he was suddenly getting married and had to plan an unwanted wedding. A bomb like that could easily make one forget things— even really important things, like the list. Plus there was also the matter that was the Summer Festival.

"Our list," Elliott agreed, allowing the small smile to become a grin. "Yeah, we should tackle some of those points before the big day—"

"I added something new," Andy's serious face didn't falter, didn't give away into a smile. He jabbed a finger at the very bottom of the paper, to a sentence that had obviously been added recently, "This is what I'd like us to do."

The ice king squinted at the paper once again, trying to decipher the words from his brother's third-grade handwriting. Either it was hard to read or he needed reading glasses. Elliott gently placed the paper between two fingers and took it away from Andy to read it closer. He practically held it up to his nose.

And there, at the bottom, it read:

_**Sabotage the wedding.**_

* * *

**++++I'm sorry there's probably a LOT of spelling mistakes + other issues but after a 4-month hiatus I didn't want to drag on the wait any longer, so here! pls excuse the errors, I wrote this on my phone and kinda polished it up in my computer.**

**+++it's a little short, but it should pick up in the next few chapters, till the grand finale. I'm planning on making it about as long as A Brother More Like Me. **

**++ ahh and I'll **_**try **_**to update more frequently, I'm just **_**really **_**busy with school till june. girl gotta pass all her classes. also, a little reminder about updates is nice once in a while— but guest spam is sometimes stressful/irritating. what inspires me most to write faster are reviews —insightful reviews— about what yall like and don't, your thoughts and feelings… that sorta thing :) idk**

**+aaaaand lastly, those who asked me on tumblr and maybe didn't see the reply; I will not be doing a genderbent version of Frozen Fever. I just don't have time time, but it would be fun!**

**thank you for reading !:)**


	17. Chapter 16

**ANDY**

A day before Brandon was to return, Elliott organized a dinner with their Southern Isles guests. Andy had sweated through two dress shirts over the course of the day and he hoped this third one wasn't about to share the same fate. He'd been jumpy all day, his nerves on end.

And all day he kept landing on the same conclusion.

He'd rather cut off his left arm than ask Helena for anything, even the _time of day_; let alone her_ help_. He simply couldn't physically bring himself to do it. Every time he tried to practice on the mirror, he started almost hacking up a lung, like a cat coughing up a hairball. The words just wouldn't come.

So he made a compromise with Elliott over breakfast; the king would ask Helena himself, and Andy would ask Madeleine. Er, Maddy.

It was so, so risky. What if he was wrong? What if Maddy was more loyal to her sister than he realized? They were supposed to ask them after the dinner. This first stage of the plan would either doom the whole operation or set it up for smooth sailing.

He buttoned up fresh shirt at last, when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," he grunted, now fighting with the green jacket that went with it.

"Just me," Elliott pushed the door open and stepped inside Andy's messy room. His brother looked, as usual, perfect.

His pale blonde hair looked windblown and honestly really good, unlike Andy who had spent all day at the Summer Festival (which was finally happening, Yay!) and his hair looked like it had lost a fight with a pine tree. He'd challenged one of Krista's ice harvester buddies to a tree-climbing contest and needless to say, he'd lost.

Elliott's new Edna Mode suit was perfectly pressed, a dark grey color that brought out the stormy color of his blue eyes. Andy needed to start making an effort on how he looked, gods… then again, it _was _dinner with the Westergard girls, and he gave exactly zero shits about impressing _them_.

"Heeey, you ready?" Andy grinned at his brother as they caught each other's eyes on the mirror. "It's showtime."

"Yes, I'm— a bit nervous, is all… you?" Elliott watched as his brother struggled with his outfit.

"Same. I've been sweaty all day, uh— but you didn't need to know that. Uh— and you? Ready to ask Helena?" saying the name still made a muscle in his jaw twitch.

"I don't know how to ask her… I guess… I'll try some small talk first, and go from there," his brother shifted awkwardly on his spot, and quickly changed the subject, "How are you liking this years' Festival?"

Andy could stand there all day complaining about the changes the Southern Isles had made, but decided not to. Part of the reason Elliott was going through with this nonsense at all was because they needed their stupid money, and telling him the festival sucked would be a bad blow to the king's already-damaged ego.

Astrid had helped them economically, just like she'd promised, but not without her own little agenda hidden in there. _Everything _had Southern Isles propaganda on it. The food was shaped like their stupid country, there were flags (Arendelle flags too, but at least double the Westergard's), even clothes with the colors of their freakin' country. Andy's ears almost bled when the outdoor band played their disgusting anthem.

And despite all that… he'd had a good couple of days hanging out with Krista. Making fun of the S. I merchandise was great fun, the little Astrid dolls they sold were great for target practice. And changing the lyrics of their anthem was probably the best idea he'd come up with as of yet.

"It's good," he replied with what he hoped was a winning smile and not a lame grimace.

"You don't need to lie," Elliott said drily, and from his pocket he pulled out a little handkerchief with the Westergard colors on it, "All hail the Southern Isles," he waved it around like a flag.

"I can't believe you bought this filth," Andy laughed and snatched it out of his brother's hand.

Elliott offered a little smile, "I didn't. Astrid gave it to me."

"How generous!" Andy scoffed and pointed at the bathroom door that he'd left ajar, "Excuse me for a sec, let me put this where it belongs— as toilet paper—"

Before he could (and he really was going to) Elliott took it back and stuffed back into his pocket, "I need it. You can have it when I'm done."

"Oh, gross! Are you actually gonna use it to wipe your bu—?"

"No! Gods. I just need to hang on to it a little longer."

Before Andy could crack another lame joke, the door swung open once again and General Winter came bumbling in, wearing a cute snow bowtie on his neck.

"General! Lookin' fine!" Andy winked at the snowman.

If the general had had any blood on his icy body he would've blushed red with embarrassment. "Respect your elders, m'boy. Elliott," he addressed his brother, "The chick's in the nest with the vipers. Just waiting on you and The Pea."

Andy frowned, "The what now?"

Elliott sighed with aggravation, "General Winter insists on using codenames. Mine is The Penguin. The General calls himself Russia. Helena's is 'chick.' So, 'chick's in the nest,' means that she's downstairs with her sisters."

Andy nodded slowly. "Oh, yeah, I get— _WAIT A SECOND_. _I'M The Pea?!"_

"I ran out of ideas," General Winter shrugged and blinked his ice shard eyes innocently. "And I strongly believe that, were you a vegetable, a pea would be appropriate."

"Is this for real? There's _so _many good nicknames in the world and you go with _The Pea_?! I don't even _like _peas!"

"My deepest apologies if that hurt your feelings," the snowman said, looking _not _sorry at all. "But we must go at once. It is time."

"It's time," the brothers echoed.

* * *

**HELENA**

The three Westergards waited patiently for the Arendelle brothers to join them for dinner. 'Patiently' being probably the wrong word to use, because as the seconds dragged on, Helena got more and more anxious.

It didn't help that Astrid and Maddy were talking quietly to each other, excluding her from the conversation as always. Astrid seemed to be convincing a doubtful Madeleine of something, while the second sister just looked as miserable as Helena felt.

_Finally_, the two brothers made their appearance, both in sharp suits— well, Elliott's more so than Andy's. Anders looked like he'd put minimal effort into his dinner clothes… which was understandable. If she'd been in his position, Helena would have acted the exact same way and probably worse.

"Sorry we kept you waiting," Elliott said pleasantly as he bowed his head in Astrid's direction. Andy grunted out something along the same lines.

"No matter, King Elliott. Let's focus on the wonderful food, shall we?" Astrid offered one of her winning smiles and Helena tried not to gag into the buttered bread she'd that had served as a nice appetizer while waiting. Could someone possibly be any faker?

"Yes, let us dine together," Elliott said. Well, Astrid wasn't the only fake one around here.

She was a little surprised when the Ice King sat down next to her— then again, they _were _betrothed, so he _had _to. Anders sat across from his brother, next to Maddy— that left Astrid at the head of the table… was that Elliott being courteous or weak? A mix of both perhaps?

Like their forced encounters often went, it was mostly Elliott and Astrid making painful small talk with Maddy adding some insight once or twice. Helena and Andy, though— they were dead silent, as always. The tension between them had become worse if that was even possible.

About halfway through the steak, Anders suddenly spoke up.

"I can't stand this any longer," Prince Andy murmured. His words were so low, for a second Helena thought she'd imagined them.

Elliott blinked at his brother. "Excuse me?"

"I can't _stand this any longer_!" Andy repeated, louder, meaner. He stood up suddenly, knocking over his chair with the brute force, but he paid it no mind. Instead, he started yelling, "You can't marry her! She almost killed us both— and tried to take the crown! She's a monster, a backstabber—"

Helena tried not to flinch at his words, but she did. It was like a punch in the gut. She was usually exceptionally good at deflecting insults and brushing things off, but the prince's words stung like acid on her skin.

"_Anders_," Elliott snapped, a look of warning in his stormy eyes. "Behave yourself and keep _quiet_."

The thirteenth princess fisted the folds of her skirt in her suddenly clammy palms. Their fight was making her very uneasy. She shifted her eyes over to her sisters, and Maddy seemed mirror her own look of discomfort. Astrid, on the other hand, looked on, amused.

Andy scoffed and glared at his brother with pure fire in his usually amicable eyes. "_Keep quiet_, you say? Like you do? Just cross my arms and let this happen? _No_! Never again. You don't—"

With no warning, Elliott slammed down his hands on the oak table, icing it over. Maddy was quick enough to lift her elbows before the ice crept up on her arms, but the sleeve of Astrid's dress got caught on the freeze. No major damage though, Helena noted with disappointment.

"You will _not _speak to me that way in front of our guests," Elliott's voice was colder than the ice on the table. "And, now, you will _not _be attending the wedding. You're to stay in your chambers until the celebration is over. You're _forbidden _to go."

"That's just _fine _by me," Andy pulled back his lips in a snarl, "I hope you two have a lovely wedding, and a lovely life. I want no part on it."

"Good. You're dismissed anyway." Elliott pointed a finger at his brother as the younger one retreated up the stairs."Actually…forget about your chambers. I'm sending you away until this is all over. I hope in your time away you think long and hard about the things you've said here today."

Andy replied with a rude gesture over his shoulder and then disappeared.

Elliott sat back down, breathing heavily. Helena felt the sudden urge to say something to him, but quickly fought it away. It was none of her business, even if it _was _very sad to see them fighting. _Because of her_. Another thing to add to her already massive pile of guilt; creating a rift between the usually loving brothers… then again, why did she care?

After a little thought, she realized she was angrier at Andy's words more than anything. _He _blamed _her _for all of the aftermath of _his _brother's actions. When, in reality, the current situation was _Astrid's _freaking fault! She glared in her eldest sisters' direction, but the queen paid no mind. Her icy eyes were fixed on Elliott.

"Well done, King Elliott," Astrid praised. She raised her glass of wine in his direction, "You do have a backbone after all."

Elliott nodded briefly at her, ignoring the rest. He still seemed shaken, like he couldn't believe what he'd just done.

"May I ask where you'll be sending your brother until the festivities are over?" Astrid continued, the picture of fake pleasantness.

The king shrugged. "Corona, maybe. Rapunzel will look after him, I'm sure. Maybe teach my foolish brother some manners," he added the last part reluctantly, circling his own glass of wine with the tip of his finger.

"You made the right call," there she want again, Astrid handing out compliments like they were candy, "It was very inappropriate of him to do that."

"It was," Elliott agreed half-heartedly. Was she the only one noticing this? The odd way he was acting? He didn't seem furious like he had moments ago. Now he looked more like… deflated.

He seemed… nervous. Helena studied his face, trying to pick up on a clue, anything. His lips were parted and his brows furrowed, signs of his worry, but also… something in his eyes. She couldn't tell what it was, but it placed the sneaky suspicion in her heart that there was more to that fight than they'd let on.

"I'm going to check on him," he said abruptly, standing up. He forced a look of annoyance back on his face. "Please, do finish without me."

He bowed his farewell and fled up the stairs after his brother. After a moment of silence, Astrid laughed.

"Well, wouldn't you know it! They don't get along as well as _someone _claimed," she smirked at Helena. "You see? Perfect siblings do _not _exist. They're just like us."

_No, they're not_. "Yes. I see that now."

Maddy, who had been silent during the whole exchange, spoke up. "I think they were lying."

Astrid snorted into her glass of wine. "Lying? Please." She cast a nasty look at her younger sister, who seemed to shrink back. "You flatter yourself. They're not exactly masters of deception, and— Anders' words were real enough. You're not as perceptive as you think you are."

Helena considered sticking up for Maddy— and changed her mind just as quickly. Even if she _did _agree that something had been off about the fight, she had absolutely zero desire to get into a fight with Astrid of all people about it. She didn't see the point in their staged fight anyway— what for? The wedding was happening, with Andy on board or not.

"Go check on them," Astrid gestured lazily in Helena's general direction, "Just to prove our sweet sister wrong."

"Of course," Helena said, ignoring Maddy's look of hurt. "Be right back."

Helena pushed back the chair from the table and walked after Elliott.

* * *

**ELLIOTT**

"How was that?"

Elliott's hands were still shaking, but his brother's huge grin made them stop almost immediately. They were just halfway up the staircase to the main East Wing, but out of earshot from their guests which was good enough.

"Absolutely brilliant," Andy said, still a little breathless from all the previous yelling. "You think they bought it?"

"I hope so," Elliott peeked over his shoulder, as if they could hear him. "Mostly they just looked confused."

Andy waved his hand dismissively, "Let them process it any way they want. This little family feud just bought me a ticket outta here and to the Southern Isles, heh! Now my absence won't be questioned. Krista and I will find Brandon, get him to join up, get a boat out of here… as long as everything else goes perfectly, yeah?"

Elliott still wasn't 100% on board with the plan. Maybe 90% if he was feeling a little optimistic. He wasn't comfortable letting his little brother go to those wretched isles, it was like pushing him into the shark tank with a meat suit… okay, maybe that was overreacting— but he was still apprehensive about it.

"Yes," he forced himself to say, "and tonight, we go to the trolls for advice."

Andy nodded happily, and then they settled into a pleasant silence. But it didn't last very long: another issue quickly popped up.

"Okay, now… to ask Helena and Maddy to join up and pray to the gods they don't betray us," Andy said. Elliott sighed through his nose. He'd almost forgot about that tiny, crucial part of this stupid plan.

"I'll ask Helena the second I get her alone," Elliott said.

"Ask me what?"

Both brothers jumped, completely startled. That girl was stealthy like a cat. _How long had she been standing there? _Elliott hadn't noticed her following.

When her question was met with awkward silence, Andy lightly shoved Elliott's shoulder like '_yeah, brother, what were you saying just now?_'

"I— well, I was just going to ask- if you'd be so kind as to… join me. In my chambers after, uh, dinner," Elliott stammered out, his heart still in his throat from the unpleasant surprise.

Helena blinked her pretty greenish eyes, and to Elliott's mortification, her cheeks flushed red, "Um. Y-Yes. Of course."

"To talk! I just want to talk!" He quickly added. Andy made a sound that was a mix between choking and laughing.

"Of course talk. Did you have anything else in mind?" And just like that, she'd recovered smoothly, even going as far as to smirk at him.

Before he could humiliate himself further, Andy interjected, "No, princess, that's all. Now _shoo_. Go back to Mommy Astrid."

Helena's cheeky face twisted into a dark look, "She's not my mother."

"Well, she sure acts like it. Cleaning up after you, fighting your battles for you…."

"I _never _asked her to—"

"That's enough," Elliott said sharply. He gave his brother a stern look, "Both of you." He gave the princess an equally cross look, "Finish dinner and meet me shortly. Just need to deal with my brother here."

"Of course, Your Grace," she curtsied, and her eyes flashed with mockery before she left. "Oh, and by the way? I _know _what a fight between siblings looks like. And this? This wasn't even _close_."

When she left for good, Andy's hands twisted the air like he was strangling something, "Oh! That _witch_! I guess they didn't buy what we were selling. What now?"

"_Helena _didn't," Elliott corrected, "We have to believe that if Astrid had shared those feelings, she would have called us out on it, and it would've been over. There's still a chance."

"What if she did notice, and she's just testing us?" Andy challenged.

"Let's hope not," Elliott said simply. He gave his brother a little push on the back, "Go, now. You're grounded anyway, remember?"

"But _daaaaad_!"

Elliott fought back a smile, "Go."

Andy laughed to himself before racing up the rest of the stairs.

* * *

It was like a contest of who was the most uncomfortable; and it was pretty even, no clear winner as of yet.

But Elliott had a sneaky feeling that it was _him_. Helena at least tried to pretend she wasn't, but her body language betrayed her even if her face didn't. Neither of them wanted to be here, but it _had to be done_.

Helena was perched on the windowsill, picking at the threads on her skirt, while Elliott stood a couple feet back, watching the window with her in silence. The fireworks outside from the Summer Festival lit up the night sky and somehow made Elliott forget —at least for a couple of seconds after each colorful blast— about his troubled life.

Every time he opened his mouth to speak, he quickly forced it back shut. _How _did one ask someone to betray their queen, their sister, their family? Even if Helena had clearly stated that she hated them at every turn, there was still the risk that she _didn't_, that she said those things simply out of spite, while in reality she _did _care for them.

"What did you want to talk about?" Her voice was quiet, almost lost in the sounds coming from outside, but he heard her.

While he could, he gathered his nerve. _Okay, you can do it. If things go sour— if they—_

Before his insecurities could flood through him, he sat on the opposite side of the windowsill and looked her dead in the eye. "Andy and I have a plan to stop your sister, and I wanted to ask if you would like to join us."

She stared back, her lips parted slightly and her thin eyebrows raised in surprise. The explosions from outside gave her face a reddish-green glow that made reading her eyes harder. Elliott felt a chill go through his hands, cold and slow and it threatened to expand, but he clenched them into a fist to stop it. _It's okay, she's processing it, she's not going to run off and tell Astrid—_

In the end, she shook her head slowly and Elliott's heart felt like lead — heavy, disappointed, _scared _even, until she spoke. "Whatever your plan, it's doomed to fail. There's no stopping this. You don't know Astrid, she's…"

"_Hellfire_," He recalled, from one of their conversations long ago. "You said she was hellfire, and that she would burn me. I know. But a storm — if strong enough— can put out any fire. I had my doubts, too, Helena… but this plan, with your help, it _will _work."

"Only to stop the wedding?"

"To overthrow Astrid," he said, feeling something in his chest get released, the lead from a few seconds ago had molded into something that gave him courage. Helena gasped, but Elliott kept going, "Please. You know the type of person she is, better than I. What she's capable of. We think… we think she _can _be stopped, but we can't do it alone. We need your help."

Another moment passed, the tension was heavy and almost palpable, but Elliott held his breath, and _hoped _with every fiber of his being… another blast outside shook the castle, but it wasn't nearly as loud as the roaring in Elliott's ears, the magnitude of her reply was everything.

"If I join you in this fool's errand," she said, finally, cautiously, "Will you forgive me?"

Elliott swallowed with effort, taken off-guard. He hadn't expected her in a million years to want forgiveness. "Helena… well… I suppose I can… find it in myself to forgive you …" the words sounded a little forced, and she could see his struggle. "But… forgiveness is not redemption. _That _you must earn."

The princess sighed as if she'd expected that, and drew her knees closer to her chest. Both of them were tucked in the windowsill, the tall glass still flashing with vibrant colors from outside. "Tell me the plan."

_That was too easy_. He regarded her with a guarded expression, "I will— if you swear to help, and to _not _tell Astrid any of this."

She raised her eyes to meet his, and for the first time they didn't seem mocking or angry or tortured— only soft. "I swear."

"I need you to say it. And— swear on… on the most important thing to you."

He peered into those hazel-green eyes, trying to pick up any sign of her having doubts or of double-crossing. He saw nothing but honesty and tiredness. "I swear to help, if I can, and not breathe a word of this to Astrid." She paused and bit her lip, eyebrows raised, "I swear it on, uh… my life."

Elliott felt like a million ants were crawling around his skin, egging on his anxiety. _Her life? _It sounded conceited… but it sounded real. She looked exhausted more than anything, and still…. He took a deep breath. Here it went. Where he risked everything, to tell a girl who almost killed him and everything he cared for about their only hope.

And so he told her.

By the end of the gist of it, he'd never seen a scarier smile.

* * *

**MADDY**

Prince Anders wandered back down the stairs sometime later, when everyone was up and gone from the dining table.

Astrid and herself had been the last. After the Arendelle brothers left, it was like Astrid felt it was not humanly possible to do nothing else but gloat. Then Helena got snappy, so Astrid yelled at her, so the thirteenth princess left practically in tears. Maddy hadn't commented on how the princess had left in the direction of Elliott's rooms.

At the time Maddy had felt a pang of something like pity for the younger girl, but then she'd remembered how Helena hadn't backed her up when she said Elliott's fight with his brother was a sham, so she decided not to defend her little sister.

The more Astrid talked, the more she drank, and the more she drank, the sloppier and more arrogant she got. Eventually, for her mental health, Maddy had asked Sophia's servant Kronk (who apparently was still hanging around) to escort her Majesty to her bedchamber for the night.

When she was _finally _left alone, she relished in the silence— which didn't last long, as Prince Andy appeared at the bottom of the staircase less than five minutes after the peace had settled in.

"Hello, Princess Madeleine," he greeted with one hand raised. He'd changed out of his fancy dinner clothes and into a loose shirt and pants, outdoor boots— meant for the hot summer weather outside. Was he going somewhere?

"Hello, Prince Anders. Came to sneak some dessert upstairs?" She said, trying to say something before the encounter became too awkward. She still didn't know what to make of the redheaded prince.

"Tempting, but not quite. I'm going for a walk." Anders paused, probably thinking what to say next. Maddy picked at the tablecloth, ducking her head. She wanted no company at the moment. For some reason, she felt more self-pity at herself than usual. She wished her husband were here…

When she looked up again, she jumped in her seat— Anders had sat right beside her, sea-green eyes piercing her with a serious look. A look of _serious business_, not _angry serious_ which was the look he wore around Helena.

"But before my walk… I wanted to talk to you about something," he said pleasantly, like he hadn't just invaded her bubble of personal space.

_R-E-L-A-X_. She was still prickly over her argument with Astrid earlier, and was taking it out mentally on the poor guy. She threw back her shoulders and tried to form welcoming thoughts.

"Of course. What is it?" she said. She almost even smiled.

But suddenly the prince seemed at a loss of words. Apparently, he hadn't thought he'd get very far in talking to her. She tried the smile again, and Anders blinked.

"Okay… second-born to second-born kid," he finally said, "If I may be so bold as to ask…" he swallowed, like that had been a handful to say— or memorize. "Do you think Astrid is a good ruler? That she has good judgement?"

Maddy felt her heart begin to race on her chest. It was that same unpleasant feeling she used to get with tutors and classes, like she could get an answer wrong, and if she did, it would cost her.

He probably saw the hesitation in her eyes and raised a palm, as if to show he was hiding nothing, and his eyes were wide with honesty, "Look— this isn't a trick or anything, okay? I truly just want to talk about what you… what you're feeling, Madeleine—Maddy?"

She nodded.

"Maddy," he said. "I… _okay_, time to stop going around it. Be frank with me. Do you think the union between my brother and your sister is _good_? That it should happen?"

N-O, No, _no_, a thousand times no, she wanted to scream. There were immensely better ways to fix the whole Helena mess without too much damage done to both parties. But Astrid seemed to have looked at all the good, safe possibilities and gone, '_Nah, let's go with the most terrible one. How can I hit Arendelle the hardest? Oh, I know! Force their King to marry my sociopath of a little sister, what a delightful idea!'_

Maddy immediately felt bad for calling Helena a sociopath. She was issues, yes, but just pining that label on her was wrong.

"My feelings on the arrangement do not matter," Maddy finally said. And, as an afterthought, and as gently as she could, she added, "and neither do yours."

Andy seemed unfazed, "Okay, fine, deflect the question. Pretend you're neutral. That you don't care. Unfortunately for you… you _do _care," he gestured at her with a finger, "It's written all over your face, Maddy. You _care_, and you care very deeply. And— something tells me… you don't agree with Astrid's actions. Not. Even. One. Bit."

"She's the queen," Maddy finally snapped, tiring of the conversation quickly. She didn't see the point of it, or what he was getting at. "It doesn't _matter _if I care with every bone in my body. My feelings, as far as I've been told my whole life, are _invalid_."

Andy was silent, drinking in her words. She pushed her hair back, arranging it out of her face. Somehow, saying that out loud, had upset her. A lot.

"Your feelings are valid simply because you feel them. No one can make you feel like you're less without your permission." He said quietly. "Talkin' from experience here."

Now was her turn to be silent, and to ponder at his words. _Wise _words. Who knew that beyond the troublemaker face this boy hid words this rich?

"Maddy," he said, catching her full attention. "What if I told you…you never have to feel that way again?"

The laugh that left her chest was bitter, "Yes? And what do you suggest?"

"Okay— what if I told you… what if I told you we're planning to overthrow Astrid before the wedding?"

A dead, dangerous silence filled the room. Maddy's eyes quickly scanned every available inch they could— looking for _her_. Even if it seemed impossible— they were completely alone— she somehow _felt _the presence, could almost hear the silky words '_You would never betray me, sweet sister, would you?'_

She shuddered, digging her nails into the tablecloth. "Stop talking."

But his words were out there, he'd handed them over to her, and there was _no _taking them back now. He pressed on, "Think about it! Everyone would benefit from it. The wedding would be stopped, and _you _would become queen—"

"Stop! Stop saying—"

"Please, _please, _Maddy, we need your help."

The scar on her face felt like it was pulsing, hot and shameful and— _n-o_. "M-My help?"

"_Yes_, your help," he looked like he wanted to hug her, but didn't dare— as he should. Had he even brushed her hand at that moment, she would have screamed. "We're looking for proof— solid, indisputable proof that Astrid killed your mother, the queen before her."

Even if the scar on her face seemed to be ablaze and her knee wouldn't stop bouncing in anguish, his words got to her very core. Her knee stopped moving and the sudden PTSD acid on her face cooled until she felt nothing.

Betraying Astrid felt colossally terrifying— she didn't even feel safe from her older sister in her own thoughts. It had been like Anders had been speaking another language for a few seconds there— but '_proof that Astrid killed your mother_', now _that_ was important. _That_ Maddy was thirsty to avenge— forget about her scarred face, she deserved that. But what Astrid had done to Mother…

"You got all quiet and I'm scared," Anders' face was twisted into a comical grimace. "_Should _I be scared? Are you going to tattle?"

"'_Snitches get stitches'_," she said back, quoting one of her sisters, Olivia. She licked her suddenly dry lips, "I… I may know… some things that may be of use…"

Anders smiled so wide one would think she'd just handed him the winning lottery ticket, "I'm all ears if you're up for sharing."

"Wait, I… I need some _guarantees _first, if I'm going to… to help you," once again she licked her lips, dry again. She wondered if it was because of her fried nerves. After his nod of agreement, she continued. "One. Most important… if this plan of yours goes south, I want nothing to do with it. You do not name me. As far as Astrid will be concerned, I had no involvement."

_Had those words really just slipped out of her mouth? _What the hell was she thinking! Betraying Astrid, _again_, like she'd done a thousand years ago…

"It's not going to fail! But okay. Elliott and I will take the fall— and Helena, if my brother gets her on board, and with his good looks, I'm sure it won't be too difficult," his voice indicated that he was annoyed. "_Plus, _your sister kinda _is _the betrayingtype."

"Number Two— Do _not _blame Helena either," before Anders could open his mouth, she folded her arms as sternly as she could. "_Tsk_. The girl has enough on her plate— she doesn't need to add this. _Only _your brother and you will take responsibility if Astrid finds out."

She remembered the promise she made to Katherine back in the Southern Isles. She'd said she would watch out for their little sister— and this was as close as an opportunity as she would get to protecting Helena, even if the thirteenth princess would never know.

Anders folded his arms stubbornly right back, "That's just dandy, isn't it? Plan goes well, Helena's pardoned, you become queen! But if plan goes bad… you jump ship?"

She tried not to cringe at the _you become queen _and instead offered her best classic Westergard smirk, "That's exactly right, Prince Anders. Take it or leave it."

He looked like he wanted to argue, but since he had no other choice, he nodded reluctantly, "Whatever. Done. Anything else?"

Even if he had agreed to her demands, she still felt incredibly apprehensive. This was a mistake. She literally was risking everything on a miracle.

"That's all."

"So are you in?"

"Let me hear the plan first."

The prince told it with such ease and carefulness in his tone, she almost believed him. Almost. _Go to the isles, find proof, come back exactly in time for the wedding, get supporters, bring Astrid down, get Maddy on the throne— _it left her head spinning. Plus, she couldn't help but poke holes at everything he said.

"But what if this Brandon character doesn't come back? How will you smuggle yourselves inside the castle then?" she asked.

"We don't _really _need him. I mean, he'd be good to have on the team— but I think Krista and I can do it just fine on our own. What we _do _need though— whatever information you may have, any clue, just about _anything— _that'd be greatly appreciated." He said. "Actually— it's the most important part."

F-L-A-W-E-D, her head screamed. The plan relied on too many things that weren't written on stone. It was all pinned on chances, hoping, good timing— things they shouldn't —_couldn't_— count on. They didn't have that luxury.

And yet… and yet, a tiny part of her clung to the boy's optimistic face, to the shine in his eyes, the confidence in his voice. Maybe it was all wistful thinking on his end, and even if that was the case, it was contagious. It shocked her— but it also made her believe that it _was _possible.

"Look, I know you're not totally on board, and I understand… but, Maddy, Madeleine, _please_. Elliott has so much more to lose than you if this goes to hell— and he believes. He trusts that I'll do my absolute _best_ —and more— to stop this." He didn't stammer or hesitate, on the contrary, she'd never heard Prince Anders of Arendelle sound more firm. "And, yes, it's a chance... a chance we must take. I notice your face every time your sister speaks. And every time you look like you disagree with her, it's like the disapproval leaves your every pore, y'know? Her time to rule has passed. She's nothing more than a bully with power and a superiority complex, so… I'm asking again… help us do not only what's best for Arendelle, but for your country, too?"

For the third and final time, she wet her dry lips. A decision is what came next.

She'd been Astrid's submissive pawn for far too long. It was time for change. Time for their abusive ruler to step down and admit to her crimes. Maddy wasn't sure she was the right fit to replace her though— all her life, she'd been of the idea that she would never rule. She was the second born daughter— the heir spot had been taken.

Astrid had loads of supporters and loyal subjects— but did the people that hated her outnumber the ones that loved her? Maddy thought it was very likely. After their mother's death, Astrid hadn't exactly been popular around their household or their country.

With a deep breath, she said the words that would seal her —and everyone else's— fates.

"I'll help you."

A slow smile filled with relief spread across the princes' face, "Excellent. Where do we begin?"

Maddy sighed through her nose and lowered her eyes, the weight of her betrayal settling on her shoulders. "Well… you're going to want to speak to my sister Cecile first."

* * *

**KRISTA**

Krista couldn't believe it.

"_Both _of them agreed to help? And not a peep of it went to Astrid? Are you _serious_?" She asked for what felt like the umpteenth time.

She practically felt Elliott's nod behind her, immensely pleased with himself. "Helena even gave me some tips about the castle. Secret passages, hidden doors, fake bookshelves— it's like a mystery novel!"

"That's nothing compared to what Maddy told _me_," Andy said smugly. "I know exactly where to find our information— and where to get people to support it. Even dropped some names on which of her sisters would support the cause."

Krista shook her head, blonde braids tickling the side of her face, "Smells of _trap_ if you ask me."

"Smells of _sweet victory_," Andy corrected. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. She still couldn't understand how her boy… friend— friend who is a boy, she mentally added— had managed to orchestrate the whole thing by persuasion alone. He had little proof that this would work, but the way he talked about it— the kid could be a fine salesman.

The road to the Valley of the Living Rock was quiet as Suri pulled them through the muddy path. Of course the sled worked much better in snow, but this wet summer mud wasn't bad. It was just a pain to clean. She sat at the front with Andy beside her. The King of Arendelle sat at the back of her sled— Krista toyed with the idea of Elliott magically adding snow to the road to make things easier for her sled; but decided against it.

"So Pabbie has something to help us, yeah?" Andy said.

"He does." Grand Pabbie said he'd help them any way he could, so Krista had asked her adoptive father for anything that could make things easier on their travel to the Southern Isles. "Let's hope he's awake."

Luckily, he was. In fact… _everyone _was awake, which was unusual for her extended family at this time of night. The only light came from the moon itself and from the tiny colorful crystals around the troll's necks.

"There's no time to waste, boys and Kri-Kri," Bulda ushered them out of the sled as soon as they'd parked. Two of Krista's stone brothers quickly got to work on getting Suri out of the sled's harness, "Pabbie will see you now. Quickly!"

"Ma— I don't— what's the rush?" None of her siblings answered her questions as they pulled them along. It reminded her of the time Andy had met her family for the first time, when they'd almost embarrassed her to death. Also this was Elliott's second visit to the place— the first when he was little and Andy's memories had been altered right before his eyes.

Grand Pabbie stood at the center of the Valley, surrounded by white and blue crystals that glowed faintly from the ground, forming a circle around the old troll. He seemed to be chanting.

The three of them stopped outside of the circle, not daring to interrupt. All the other trolls did the same, and for once they were quiet, even the littles.

"Krista," he said in that deep voice, without turning around, "Did you bring what I asked?"

"Um, yeah, but I still don't understand what—" She pulled the small sack out of her pocket, and one of her brothers snatched it out of her hand before she could finish. He rushed over to Grand Pabbie, careful not to step on the crystals, and handed it to him.

The sack had been Suri's carrot-treat bag, and now it apparently was essential for Pabbie's ritual-thing. They remained silent.

Slowly, all around them, the trolls folded back into their stone form. From the back until the center, and as they did, their crystal light left with them— making the Valley darker and darker as they went to rest.

The light that the crystals around their necks provided had disappeared— but the ones around Pabbie seemed to grow brighter and brighter, like those lights had been transferred to the special ones on the ground.

"Hm. We are ready." Pabbie's voice again. He turned around, and raised a bushy eyebrow at the King. "Elliott, please step forward."

Krista heard him gulp loudly as he left their side. Andy whispered quiet words of encouragement as his brother stepped into Pabbie's crystal circle.

The old troll held up the gunny sack, "Take it."

Obediently, Elliott did.

"That's good, Elliott. Now… I want you to focus. _Really _focus. Close your eyes."

He did. Andy shifted nervously beside Krista, and she brushed his hand, trying to tell him without words that it was okay. Pabbie wouldn't hurt his brother.

"_Feel _the crystals, their energy. These are not Earth crystals— or fire ones. They are ice and wind ones— specifically for you. To help."

"I feel them," Elliott said, eyes still closed, forehead wrinkled in concentration. "What… what am I supposed to do?"

"The energy you're feeling, I want you to harness it. I want you to let it flow through your hands, and let it become one with your own magic. Let it come to you. Let it wash over…. good…"

Krista didn't understand her sack's place in all this. The thing was made of _yarn _at best. Was Elliott supposed to freeze it? Peronsally, she didn't _feel _the crystal energy they were talking about— she did sense the _wind_, though, it was picking up.

"Now think about the wind, Elliott," Pabbie's rough voice and his soothing instructions clashed in a… in an interesting way. "Think about how powerful it is, how strong. Think about a _cold _wind, now. Let the crystals' energy guide you…"

She watched Elliott's face, how his lips parted and his hands held the sack firmly, and then his hands started to glow a soft white. And so did her sack.

"Hold on to it. Don't let it get carried by the wind. _Hold it_…" after a tense moment, the crystals around the king and the troll started to lose its glow.

"Is that good or bad?" Andy asked nervously.

"No idea," she replied in all honestly. She hoped it was the former.

She almost cried out when, in the small circle, a rush of powerful wind caught Pabbie and Elliott. But it was _exclusively _inside the circle, nothing else— only the ground around them had erupted with the powerful gust, uprooting plants and earth as it roared.

None of the trolls woke, or seemed to mind. The only ones were Elliott's terrified face and Andy's of shock, as well as Krista's. _What the hell, Pabbie? _Elliott's platinum hair was blown completely back.

"_CAPTURE IT, ELLIOTT! CAPTURE THE WIND!_" Pabbie yelled.

Andy tried to step forward and into the circle— but he was pushed back by the force of that wind. The crystals on the ground rattled but were not carried away.

"_How_?!" Elliott yelled back.

"In the _sack¸_ Elliott, _in the SACK_! _FOCUS_!"

Elliott's reply was lost in the rush of wind, but Krista could see his mouth open in a silent scream. She pulled Andy back by the collar of his shirt when he tried intervening once again, "Let him," she said.

Not three seconds had passed when it stopped. Completely stopped.

All that wind made a sucking noise as it relocated to the inside of the open sack, and Elliott quickly tied it closed, hands shaking. All the soil and roots that had been dancing around the little tornado had landed on the both of them, Pabbie looked the same but Elliott looked like a homeless man, his wild hair and eyes combined with all the dirt.

"Am I the only one that doesn't understand what the _heck all of that was for_?" Andy said.

"You're not alone," Elliott said, he looked down at Pabbie's smug face, "What _was _that?!"

"Look around you," Pabbie said, "You got the air crystals to respond, and you combined them with your magic. Your ice. You channeled the ice and the wind perfectly. That turned it into North Wind."

Elliott blinked and looked at the sack in his hands, and for the first time Krista did too.

It had filled up with… something. She didn't understand how it hadn't burst with the freaking hurricane Elliott had forced in there.

Grand Pabbie took the sack from Elliott and carefully gave it to Andy.

"This will help on your journey to and back from the Isles," he said. "Open the bag, and Elliott's North Wind will be released. Use it on your _sail_ so it carries you at incredible speed. There's enough for two trips, maybe three— _don't open it_!"

Andy smiled sheepishly and took his fingers away from the thin thread that contained the North Wind inside Krista's silly carrot sack.

"You take it, you're the responsible one." Andy said, and handed it over to Krista. It felt incredibly light— she could understand Andy's temptation to open it, but she had a little more self-control than the prince. It also felt very cold.

"Very good," Elliott said, finally grinning. "That'll come in handy to get back home in time. Thank you, Grand Pabbie!"

Andy raised a fist and _woo-hoo'ed_, "Great! Now we just have to meet with Brandon tomorrow, and everything should go okay, right?"

"Right!"

"And it's 'cause of you, Krista! This was_ your _idea. You saved us!" Andy looked at her with such adoration it made her melt a little.

Krista couldn't help it. Her own smile matched the brothers'. They'd gone against all odds and now…

They were one step closer to bringing down Astrid's reign of terror… As long as nothing went wrong.

She couldn't wait for tomorrow

* * *

**IMPORTANT**

**My computer died and my stuff has been lost. Most of this chapter was written from my laptop, which is a pain to use— I liked my desktop much better + the Microsoft Office free trail here will expire soon and that's the tool I use to write… (can't afford to buy it.)**

**So, I don't know when the next update is gonna be, I don't know if the doc with all my notes (character descriptions, places, timelines, etc) for the story's been lost… just,, bear with me till I get more info. I'll get a new computer when I get some money. This is the longest chapter **_**ever **_**to make up for it, I guess…**

**I apologize, I do. It's as frustrating to me as it is to you, but I can't do anything but ask for patience and pls don't pressure my in reviews. I hope this gets sorted out as quickly as possible.**

**With that awful note out of the way…Thanks for reading!**


	18. Chapter 17

**ELLIOTT**

The next morning there was a nervous buzz in the air.

Or at least, that's what Elliott thought. It was the kind of anxious energy children had before a teacher in a classroom. In this particular scenario Madeleine, Helena and himself were the nervous children and Astrid was the scowling teacher.

The Queen of the Southern Isles looked grumpier than usual. But there was no bloody murder written on her face— _yet_— so Elliott figured both sisters had kept quiet about their betrayal. Which, hey— was really good! The longer they kept their mouth shuts, the better.

Elliott had invited them for breakfast in one of the smaller chambers, making a point of telling them Andy had been shipped off to the kingdom of Corona because of his lousy behavior last night. At least Astrid believed that; the red-headed prince was nowhere to be found— but Elliott knew his brother was at the dock at this very moment, meeting with Brandon… if Brandon had made it. If not, they were to take a small ship and leave unnoticed. The North Wind he had trapped for them in a bag would make the journey a lot faster.

"Lady Madeleine— butter?" one of the staff asked.

The princess' knee bumped against the table, completely startled. Elliott had noticed she'd been acting a bit paranoid this morning— and with good reason. The girl couldn't even meet Astrid's eyes, and Elliott couldn't stop wondering about the lone scar on her face.

"Y-Yes. Thank you." Madeleine mumbled something else before she started spreading the butter on a piece of bread. Their little circle of four people was charged with— as usual— tension. Only Andy's angry energy was missing from the table.

"You're awfully jumpy today, sweet sister," Astrid noted, folding her hands beneath her chin. Elliott's teeth ground together. So Astrid had noticed, too. "Something the matter? Are you unwell?"

For a split second, Maddy's mouth hung open, like a fish. Her lips seemed to want to work out words but could not. Sweat gathered at the back of Elliott's neck, cold and haunting. _What if she cracked?_

"You can tell me anything," Astrid's smile stretched, forced and ugly. She even took Maddy's hand in hers as if to squeeze a reply out of her.

"I—"

"It's the Josef thing you told me about, isn't it?" Helena swooped in, perfectly fake smile on her face. She turned quickly to Elliott, "Josef is Maddy's husband."

"What _thing_?" Astrid looked annoyed that Maddy hadn't been the one to answer.

Without a care for her older sister, Helena replied again, "The pregnant thing! She missed her last moon."

Astrid wrinkled her nose, as did Elliott. It had been a really good save, but not the mental image he wished to have during breakfast. Maddy shot her younger sister a _thank-you _look and continued the lie, "I don't want to get his hopes up. I've been late in the past and—"

The queen waved her hand dismissively, "Yes, yes, keep your private life _private_, if you will."

And just like that, Elliott could breathe again— well, almost. He still drove himself sick with worry over Andy. He hadn't been the biggest fan of their _solo _mission to the Southern Isles, but it was their best and probably only chance of striking back Astrid where it hurt. Even with knowing that his brother had the help of Pabbie's magic, Krista, as well as Brandon the 'professional' thief, Elliott still felt like had a giant ball of lead stuck on his throat all the time.

"Oh, Elliott— I hope you don't mind, but I've put your manservant to good use," Astrid chirped, in a good mood again. Which probably meant bad news for him.

"My what, now?" he asked.

"The snowman," the Queen's face slipped back into annoyance as she brought a cup of— was that _wine_?— close to her lips. Wasn't it too early to be drinking?

"Oh— General Winter." Elliott frowned, not liking the way she'd said _to good use_. "What kind of _use_?"

"He will bring samples of various things for you to pick from… for the wedding," she added, at his blank stare. "Colors for napkins, the menu, that kind of thing. I'm afraid you and your fiancé are going to be rather busy today."

He almost recoiled at her words. _Fianc__é_. Helena, his fiancé. Gods.

"Fine," he deadpanned, and went back to picking at the eggs on his plate.

It was going to be an insufferably long day.

* * *

**KRISTA**

"Behold," Andy said dryly, "The great Arendelle armada."

Every word dripped with heavy sarcasm. When Elliott had told them that morning that he couldn't spare grander ships, he'd really meant it. Their very dangerous, very important mission to the Southern Isles was to be carried out on a _fishing boat_. A very small, very cramped one too.

They weren't even in the main docks— where Astrid's keen eye could spot them— but on a more or less hidden port where they could leave safely. The captain that had showed them the ship and gave them five-minute lessons had left long ago.

"At least we won't attract unwanted attention to ourselves," Krista told him.

"The North Wind is going to break this thing," the prince complained, referring to their little wind bag— courtesy of Grand Pabbie and Elliott's magic combined. "Plus— I'm having a hard time picturing not _two_, but _three _of us fitting and traveling in this."

"Where _is _Brandon?" Andy asked.

Krista shrugged. "I don't know. My uncle sent word that we'd be meeting _here_."

Her uncle. Axel. She'd almost forgot he existed with everything that was going on— that blessing had lasted until earlier that morning, when they kind of said good-bye.

"_So you aren't marrying Brandon, like your mother intended__…__. Instead you're off to get yourselves killed someplace south," _he'd said,

She'd nodded. "_That's exactly right_."

Then, as always, he'd made things worse by adding "_Just know, Krista— this _thing _you have going with the prince? It can only end in heartache._"

"_Thanks for your expert opinion that __**no one **__asked for_." If looks could kill, her uncle would've been sleeping with the fishes.

"_Good-bye, Uncle Axel._" She'd turned to go and never looked back, his spluttering apologies bounced off of her like a rubber ball against a wall. Hopefully, by the time they returned, her uncle would be long gone.

"If he doesn't show up in the next five minutes, we're leaving him," Andy successfully popped her memory train, which was good. She didn't wanna think about her uncle anymore. He looked at her with those sea green eyes, "Yeah?"

"Agreed."

"Leaving _who_?"

Krista was pretty sure her soul left her body for a couple of seconds after having it scared right out of her by the familiar voice. Andy, too, looked startled to his core.

"Brandon," she scowled at the guy, "That was unnecessary."

His physical appearance had changed since their last encounter. His curly dark hair was tied back, giving them a pretty good look at the bruise on his jaw— the purple and yellowness of the nasty mark made it hard to miss. Krista decided not to mention it— whatever trouble he'd gotten himself into on his last… expedition, she didn't want to know.

"Perhaps I should have announced myself," Brandon said. His dark eyes settled on Andy. "So you spoke true 'bout the Arendelle family being involved. Hello!"

"Hi," Andy's smile was wary. "I'm Anders."

"Brandon!" he said, his _real _smile clashing with Andy's forced one. His attention fleeted back to Krista. "So! Tell me _all _about this super-secret mission."

"Aboard," Krista said, gesturing at the small boat. Even if they were far away from the main docks, she didn't trust what the wandering ear might pick up on from their conversation.

"I haven't even agreed," Brandon placed both hands on his hips like a distrustful mother. "Are you trying to kidnap me? 'Cause I warn you—"

"Nothing like that! Look," Krista, against her better judgement, dropped down one of her legs on the boat. She almost yelped when it rocked violently from under her, but it didn't sink. Good enough. "Come on."

* * *

The boat just had one cabin, a small space with a couple of hammocks and a desk. A tiny storage with food and supplies, and not much else. Krista was starting to think this wasn't even a proper fishing boat, just someone's humble home.

They improvised and sat on a couple of crates, while Brandon made himself comfortable on the hammock.

"Andy of ya'll know how to sail a boat?" he asked.

"Of course," Andy lied.

"Okay, you obviously don't," Brandon said. "You look pretty darn scared out of your mind."

Krista's back muscles tensed, wanting to defend Andy but at the same time holding back. It was true Andy looked like he'd rather be anywhere else, but who could blame the poor boy after what had happened to his parents?

"So? How hard could it be?" Andy's stubborn self said.

Brandon smiled with amusement at rubbed at his stubbly jaw, "Allright. Suit yourself… now, do tell me the plan."

Andy and Krista exchanged a look. Andy didn't seem like a big fan of Brandon already, but odd as it was, Krista did trust the guy. He seemed like a good man in a storm—and boy were they heading into one.

So Krista, original mastermind behind this whole thing, told him everything.

If things went sour she'd already located a handy broom in the corner of the room that could be used to… incapacitate Brandon if he got difficult.

By the end of it, it wasn't necessary. Brandon just started to clap, while shaking with silent laughter. "Boy, you two rookie fishermen sure goin' after a big fish. The Southern Isles no less!" He said between fits of laughter.

Andy's green eyes flashed with warning. "Okay buddy, we didn't ask you to come here just to be mocked—if you don't want to help, please show yourself out—"

"What? Oh, no, no, my dear prince! You misunderstand me!" Brandon slid off the hammock and jumped to his feet, a spark of excitement in his eyes, "You've just got yourself your first and only crew member. I'm in!"

Krista was surprised. Usually things weren't this… easy.

"Um. Okay, so… you, uh, want money, or…" Andy trailed off.

"A few gold ingots will do nicely," Brandon said. Then his voice got quieter, more serious. "but—let me tell you something. I'm not just agreeing from the goodness of my heart… I've got some business to attend to myself at the Isles. Don't worry, it will not interfere with your bigger picture… I just really need this done. So—don't get in my way, okay?"

It had sounded like an underlying threat, but they both nodded.

Brandon smiled, back to his cheerful self, "Excellent, excellent…. And, hey, lucky for you…. _I do _know how to sail a boat!"

So the captain was named.

* * *

**HELENA**

Not once in her miserable and short life had Helena imagined she'd end up on her current situation the way that she had. Not even on her craziest, most insane dreams had _this _of all things crossed her mind.

It was laid out like this: she was sharing a couch with Elliott of all people, with a five-foot tall snowman asking her opinion between the cream-colored napkins and the cerulean ones.

And _never _had it occurred to her that this weird encounter would end up on a heated argument between herself and the abomination.

"The cerulean clashes with my dress," she told the insufferable snowman for the umpteenth time. To her utter horror, Astrid herself had brought back from home _their dead mother's _wedding dress for her to wear claiming it was 'tradition.' Which was horseshit, because all her other sisters had got to wear whatever they wanted on _their _weddings.

Then again, _their _weddings hadn't been forcibly arranged by their control-crazed oldest sister, so there was that.

The Creature, or General Winter, which was what Elliott called it, snarled at her and shook both pieces of colorful fabric in his tiny fist. "The cream goes well with everything else!"

"Who the hell made you our wedding planner?" Helena asked. "I'd like to have a word with them about their outstandingly poor judgment."

General Winter gasped and his ice-shards for eyes flashed dangerously, "Take that back!"

"Stop fighting," Elliott spoke, for what felt like the first time in hours.

He'd nodded and mumbled his agreement to everything she'd told him. She couldn't blame him for not putting any effort into this, but it still annoyed that he couldn't even _try_. The wedding probably wasn't going to happen if their stupid plan worked, so this was a waste of time… but still, she liked to pick and decide between the many options the unbearable snowman had provided.

"Control your child," Helena shot back, gesturing at the snowman.

Elliot's brow rose in amusement. "He's not my son."

"She's not only rude, she's also _blind_!" the snow creature cried, "Cerulean is a strong color! It _should _be on the napkins, and I'll fight you on this."

She smirked and flipped her hair back, "I don't fight the elderly."

"_Oh_! _Now _she's gone and done it!" the snowman dropped both napkins and raised his snowy fists like a street fighter of some sort. "To the _death_!"

"How about a compromise?" Elliott said before she could make up her mind about murdering the snowman or not. "Half of the napkins are cream, half are cerulean. All in favor?"

"I don't even know _why _you care about the creature's opinion, but _fine_," she said begrudgingly, crossing her arms. "It's not like we're _actually _going to use them."

"The rude woman speaks true," the snowman said, eyeing her with distrust, "If these plans are to be foiled, then all of this is for naught."

Elliott's blue eyes flashed in warning, and he glanced around. They were obviously alone in one of the many rooms, surrounded by samples of food and cloth. She understood his paranoia. It did _feel _like Astrid was lurking in every corner, and Elliott obviously still wasn't comfortable about talking of the overtaking so openly.

_Maddy _was the one that worried her. It had looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown during breakfast— had it not been for Helena's quick thinking, what would the second princess have said? She'd have to keep an eye on her.

On Helena's part, she couldn't be more thrilled. _Finally _Astrid would be removed from power. _Ideally _Helena would have liked to take the spot for herself— but it was Maddy's by right, which wasn't too bad. At least it wasn't Cristina or worse— _Rowena_. That reminded her… there was a _strong _chance that Andy would be meeting one if not _all _of her sisters. She didn't know how to feel about _that_.

"I think I've had enough for today," Elliott stretched and walked over to the window, uselessly trying to catch a glimpse of his brother who was —if everything was going well— already on the sea and on his way south. "We're taking a break."

Helena tried not to pout, "We still have to try the desserts."

The little plates of sample cake and fruits taunted her from the table against the wall, along with the rest of the food. Picking colors was boring, but food—now, _that_ she enjoyed!

"Later," Elliott commanded, now completely lost to his own thoughts.

She stared a little too long at the strong line of his shoulders and the way his hands were clasped behind his back. She actually liked him a _lot _more when he wasn't _talking_. Kind of like a painting.

"Well, you heard the king," the snowman pointed with his thumb over his shoulder, "Door's that-a-way."

She clicked her tongue. "He said no more wedding stuff, not that I had to leave."

"I was simply translating what His Grace _really _meant."

She felt her hands tighten into fists, "Listen here you little piece of—"

A knock on the door made all of them stop cold.

Elliott mouthed '_who?'_, as his eyes met Helena's.

_Astrid?_

"Helena? Are you in here?"

She sighed through her nose, her shoulders slumping back down. "_Maddy_," she mouthed back. "Yes, I'm here," she called.

"Can you… um. Can you come outside, please? I need to speak with you."

King and princess exchanged another panicked glance. Elliott's face said everything; _is she going to tell_?

"Just a sec." Helena tried to push those thoughts to the back of her mind as she squared her shoulders and walked towards the door. She tried to make calming gestures at Elliott with her hands, _it's going to be fine_.

But Elliott didn't look convinced.

A small circle of snow had already gathered around his feet.

* * *

"Tell me," Helena said, closing the door behind her.

Maddy was alone, for once not in Astrid's company, but it didn't stop Helena from checking both ways of the hallway before she spoke again, "What is it?"

Her sister's face was pinched in anguish, her hands held close to her chest indicating her apprehensions. "There's something I forgot to tell Anders before they left," she barely breathed out.

Helena tried not to join in on her sister's panic. "You told him about Cecile, no? That's the most important thing. Everything's fine."

Maddy shook her head, "There… there was something else. It- it completely slipped my mind. I… they could be in trouble… even before they reach the mainland…"

"What?"

Maddy leaned in and whispered it to her ear. When done, she pulled back, and _now _Helena's face mirrored her sister's of terror.

"Oh _shit_."

* * *

**ANDY**

Andy hated boats.

He felt like a cat being forced into a bathtub full of water. Every nerve on his body resisted and worked against him, his survival instinct begged him to get away from this wooden deathtrap. Three years ago his parents had left on a ship—and not even a casket had returned.

For the longest time he'd pretended they'd survived—no bodies, no certainty, right? He made up a fantasy in his head where his parents made it to a deserted island.

"They're building a raft," Andy would tell himself. "Surely they'll come back."

Back then, it had been as if Elliott had died along with them. Not a peep from his older brother after the accident. That's around the time Andy had stopped trying to knock on the future-king's door. Of course, _now _he knew Elliott had been suffering just as much as he had—perhaps even more in his isolation.

Still… Andy was afraid. Every time the boat rocked with a powerful wave crashing against the hull, he mentally panicked.

It was easy to fake being seasick when Brandon raised his eyebrows at him. But it became impossible with Krista—she just _knew_. So he tried to avoid her questioning gaze for as long as he could. He stood at the – _bow, stern_, what did Brandon call the front again? —it didn't matter. The less he knew about this stupid ship, the better.

Why had he offered? What had he been _thinking_?

"You can't hide forever," Krista said quietly behind him.

He bit his lip and said nothing, tightening his death grip on the… was this a rail? He didn't know. But he held on for dear life and tried to pretend the vast extent of blue before him was but a painting of the open sea and not the real thing. With the smell of salt and the wind hitting his face, it was proving to be very difficult. Luckily the sun kind of blinded him anyway, so there wasn't much to look at.

"Andy. Come on. Don't put on a brave face—look, you're shaking," she didn't sound condescending, and his mind didn't get defensive—she sounded sweet, concerned.

"It's the first time I've been on a boat in years," he said to her, but kept his eyes on the horizon. "I… It was stupid of me to come."

"It's not stupid," she said gently, and walked over to stand beside him. She took his clammy hand in her warm, reassuring one. "Stupid was following your brother to the North Mountain with that crazy storm happening."

Despite the terror gnawing at his belly, he allowed himself to laugh a little. "If it hadn't been for that," he said, "I wouldn't have met you."

He finally forced his eyes away from the endless blue and to her brown eyes. With the sun hitting them, he could see the flecks of gold in them.

"Yeah, so you see—making stupid decisions prove to be beneficial in the end," she smiled back at him. "Your first trip, and now this one, will save you from the Westergard family."

"Ah." Andy had never thought of it that way. If he hadn't gone after Elliott on his coronation day, it was very likely he would have married Helena with or without his brother's blessing. He'd met Krista along the way, and by the end of it, realized his huge mistake and seen Helena's true colors. "You have an interesting point, Krista Bjorgman."

"_Going 'round the fjord, now_!" somewhere far, far away, Brandon's voice called. But Andy barely heard him. His vision was tunneled in on Krista's beautiful, beautiful face.

She chuckled and tilted her head at him, "Why are you staring like that?"

"I could kiss you," he told her, his eyes traced the bridge of her nose, her blushing cheeks, the lightest of freckles dotting them, even her unplucked eyebrows were very endearing to him. Till, finally, his gaze fell down to her lips.

"Well… you kind of _have _courted me and brought me along on expensive trips," she said, making a slight reference to their first kiss a million years ago when he'd oh- so-generously replaced her sled with a brand new one. "I _suppose _you've earned it…"

He grinned, big and real, before pressing their lips together.

It immediately sent the most pleasant of feelings to his previously knotted up belly. The apprehension from being on this wretched boat melted until it was a gooey, loving mess instead. Krista kissed him back just as eagerly, her hands cupping his face and bringing him even closer.

"Crap, guys, look at that!" a tiny voice that sounded like Brandon's tried to pierce through the moment, but Andy's mind was too hazy and Krista's lips too soft for him to really process the undertone of urgency in the thief's voice. They both ignored the interruption and continued to get lost in the other.

"_Ah! _—" the boat groaned under them and shook, almost knocking them overboard but Andy held on fast to Krista's waist and instead of falling to the sea they fell against the floor.

"What happened?" Krista asked a bit breathlessly. "Did we stop?"

Andy let her go and they sprung to their feet, Brandon's worried face bounding up to meet them. "We've got a problem, folks."

On his belt hung a spyglass, like the ones pirates use, to look at things far away. Whatever the problem was, it was up ahead, the little black dots Andy couldn't tell apart were apparently a threat.

"What kind of problem?" Andy's voice immediately hardened. The amazing moment he'd shared mere seconds ago with Krista was quickly being replaced with the feelings from that morning. His mind went through the vast list of things that could have gone wrong so quickly.

"Look in front of you, mates," Brandon said, handing over the spyglass that had been tucked in his belt. Krista took it and extended the handle to get a better look.

She squinted and pointed it ahead of them, Andy anxiously waiting his turn.

"Oh… _oh_ no," by the time she handed the prince the spyglass, she was a few shades paler.

Andy held his breath and closed one eye, using Brandon's tool on the other to get a better look.

And there, hiding right behind the fjord, was an army. Navy? Andy didn't care about the proper term. All he knew were three things.

The first) The flag of the Southern Isles was snapping in the wind, flying on every one of those ships. There was at least a dozen of them.

The second) A blonde, mean-looking woman in a sharp uniform was grinning with shark-like teeth on the biggest vessel, looking right at him.

And the third) He was 100% sure that the mean blonde was one of Helena's sisters.

* * *

**Heey, it's been a while!**

**So I got a new computer, very different from my last one- so I'm still getting used to it. **

**Please excuse any spelling mistakes, I didn't have time to proof read, I just wanted to get this chapter up. Also sorry that it's short, but the next one should def be longer.**

**thank u for reading!**


	19. Chapter 18

**-I'm sorry for the hiatus first and foremost! it's my senior year and things are insane, and grades and schoolwork count more than ever and it's important i focus on that to get into a good college and **

**ANYWAY **

**before you proceed! I recommend you re-read the last chapter real quick to see where we left off! **

**i mean, you don't have to, but i strongly recommend that you do, it's for your own benefit really. so things aren't as confusing and you don't get lost and. ah this is too long already. **

**enjoy!**

* * *

**HELENA**

Elliott took the news about as well as Helena had expected.

A blast of sleet shot out of his balled up fists, missing her head by about an inch. The wallpaper behind her took the worst of the blast, to her dismay.

"And you mean to tell me you didn't know?" Elliott's eyes were furious. "You had _no idea _Astrid was hiding an army behind my fjord?"

Maddy, being the big old coward that she was, had fled the scene almost immediately after telling Helena about Cristina's ships. How did the fool just '_forget,_' to share that key detail? Had she told them sooner, Andy and co. could have taken a different route to the Southern Isles—but no. They were en route to meet with her sadistic sister. There would be a confrontation with Cristina, there was no doubt about it. Chances were she would catch them, bring them back, and Astrid would quite literally kill them all. Helena wanted nothing more than the sweet release of death at that moment.

She tried to match the king's fierce expression with her own, "I honest-to-gods didn't know, Elliott! I've been here the whole time, or did you forget? Do you think I would've agreed to your stupid plan if I'd known? Do you think I wouldn't have _told _you?"

"Maddy agreed to the stupid plan and she _knew _about your sister! She _knew _your armada was right at our backs!" Another blast escaped his hands—he was loosing control. And this time it wasn't only sleet—it was more solid, sharper kind of ice. She felt like they were back at the north mountain. He was snapping. "And she told us _nothing _until it was too late!"

"It's not too late. We… we can send a bird, some way to warn them—"

"No! They left hours ago! If I were a betting man, I'd say Cristina's chopping off their fingers as we speak—" he cut off his own sentence by yelling a loud curse word, then repeated it several times, in quick succession. Helena was stunned to say the least. It's like the composed, rational man she knew had been replaced by its polar opposite in a matter of seconds.

She felt her irritation flare up, "Yes, by all means, Elliott, keep yelling! It's not like it will attract attention—"

The king howled again like he was in pain, "He's my little brother, he's all I have left!"

Helena blinked. All this time, she'd assumed he was upset over their marriage probably still happening. She felt ashamed that Andy's well-being hadn't really crossed her mind until then. She really was an awful person.

"Elliott," she lowered her voice, not in a condescending way, but what she hoped was a calming one. "That's not Cristina's style. Take it from me. At worst, she'll intimidate them half to death—" she cringed. Poor choice of words. "—um, what I mean is… they're not in any mortal danger. Worst-case scenario, she brings them back here and tells to Astrid about what we were up to."

Elliott's breathing slowed, but he still seemed on edge. "And what if she tortures them for information?"

Helena walked around the room to stall her answer. That was a possibility, one she was loathe to consider. She sat down on a plush chair across from Elliott and continued to speak calmly, hoping her soft tone would put him at ease. "I'm going to be honest, here. If she does torture them—I don't think it'll be anything extreme. Water torture, maybe… the sensation of drowning with a wet rag? It's not the worst. No permanent damage."

Apparently, that wasn't the right thing to say either. The man looked stricken, "That is way too similar to how our parents died—that kind of stress would ruin my brother!"

The princess breathed sharply through her nose. "Fine. I don't know what else to tell you, since you've convinced yourself to oppose anything I say."

Elliott swallowed hard, like he had something stuck in his throat. He sat down on the floor, like a dejected little kid, his shoulders slumped. "I don't… I don't mean to. My brain just—it assumes the worst. I'm afraid."

She was surprised he would admit to it, like actually say it. Not many men, even in situations like this, would do that. She tried for a sympathetic face. "Look. Andy and Krista aren't totally dimwitted. They, uh… they can be resourceful. Cristina's all brawn, no brain. The Admiral doesn't have Astrid's analytic capability, or Johanna's wits… I'm sure they won't be captured."

Elliott looked back at her, doubt clouding his face. Had that light line of freckled across his nose always been there? "You mean that? And be frank with me. I… I can take it."

Every pore on his face indicated that _no, he couldn't _take it if she said anything other than a hopeful thing. Maybe humoring wasn't what he wanted, but for some reason she did it anyway. "If I were a betting… lass, I'd say they make it to the Islands in one piece."

The king nodded, convincing himself. "Yes… yes, you're right. Besides… Cristina has no reason to stop a small fishing boat, right? It's got no reason to be suspicious."

She replied with an absent-minded _mhm_, just to offer some comfort, but her internal gears were turning, flipping through other possibilities that she didn't dare share with the shaken king.

Cristina had no reason to _want _to stop a common fishing boat—unless something about it caught her attention. Unless Andy and co. did something stupid. Unless… unless someone had _told _her to look out for anything at all.

Again, she thought about Maddy. She was the most likely to betray them, honestly. But if the second princess _had _tipped Cristina, then _why _had she also warned Helena? It didn't add up. It also rose the question—did Astrid know? Was she just feigning obliviousness to see how far they'd get away with this scheme? Was she _letting _them do this just for her satisfaction to be even greater when she caught them? Helena lost sleep at night over those kind of questions, truth be told.

Astrid would do that. She would so, _so _do that. Hold the apple above the starving man's mouth, let him almost taste it, only to pull it away right out of reach. It fed her ego like nothing else did. The cat-and-mouse game was one of her favorites—and unfortunately, one she most certainly excelled at.

Helena almost jumped out of her skin when the door swung open. A few icicles shot out of Elliott's startled hands and stuck to the doorframe with a loud _thunk_.

It was Maddy. Her lips were set in a thin line.

"Astrid is requesting an audience with the happy couple."

* * *

**ANDY**

"Look, look—they're closing ranks. They're not gonna let us pass."

"Yep, definitely a trap."

"Maybe we can—"

"We can't."

"But if we—"

"The dang boat doesn't have wings, Andy!"

Andy sucked in his bottom lip, resentful. Meanwhile, Brandon was practically ripping out chunks of his own hair.

The ships were acting like some sort of border patrol… or a pack of wolves hunting. Organized, hungry, and deadly. Now, Andy was no expert, but he could tell from the way they were arranged —some were positioned in a _block _manner, to stop them. Others were a little further away, ready to give chase if they tried to run. Brandon said they were going too fast to turn back now. The only path for them was forward

Krista, on the completely other hand, was calm, so much that it was unnerving. Her brown eyes were fixed on their imminent doom, meeting it head-on. Andy was another story. He wanted to transform into an ostrich and bury his head underground—which he couldn't, because they were out in the open sea. Which was unfortunate, because he really, _really _hated their current situation with every fiber of his being.

Naturally, Andy was the first one to loose his chill. "What in the blazes are we going to do?!"

Krista shrugged. "They have no reason to stop us. I don't understand why you two are freaking out."

"Um, do you not see their intentions? They're _not _going to let us pass! Maybe they aren't Astrid's… maybe they're pirates. Gone rouge, you know?" Andy thought about it. The mean blonde at the front _definitely _looked like a Westergard. Had one of the thirteen princess' rebelled?

Brandon scoffed. "They're Astrid's alright. Pirate's don't just _hang out _right behind a powerful kingdom's fjord. It's a _trap_!"

The two boys' exasperation seemed to irritate Krista, who was still trying hard not to panic along with them. She leveled Andy with a look, "Okay, let's say they stop us. So what? We're not carrying anything important. Our most valuable possession is a bag of air! I'm some random girl and so is Brandon—and as far as the people on that ship know, so are you, Andy. You don't exactly look prince-ly right now."

Andy glanced down at his traveling clothes. Yeah, actually, they did look really plain. Nothing even remotely hinted at the fact that he was actually a prince. "Hmm. Well, you're not wrong." Andy said.

"Oh!"

A small salt-and-pepper bird flew over their heads and swiftly landed on Brandon's shoulder, digging its talons into his soft cotton shirt.

"What the—"

It was a regal-looking creature, with a sharp beak and beady eyes.

"Messenger bird," Andy said quickly, pointing at the tiny scroll tied to the bird's leg. Its body was sleek, probably bred to deliver urgent messages.

Andy was grateful when it didn't try to peck at his hand when he gently untied the scroll form its leg.

"Do they expect us to write back? —" before Krista could even finish, the bird took off, answering that, _no_, they didn't expect a reply.

Everyone crowded around Andy's back, trying to read over his shoulder. It read:

**DROP ANY WEAPONS OVERBOARD NOW, AND NO FUNNY BUSINESS! YOU'RE BEING STOPPED FOR QUESTIONING. – ADMIRAL CRISTINA W.**

"This is fantastic," Andy balled up the note and crushed it in his fist. "Real great!" He stuffed the paper inside his pocket and looked back at his crew. "What now?"

Krista grabbed him by the shoulders and gave him a firm shake. "Anders! Will you please relax? You're starting to make me miss General Winter's paranoia, because yours is ten time worse! If you keep this up during the questioning, Cristina will know something's up."

Andy tried his absolute best not to whine, and yet he did. "It's not fair."

Krista released him as Brandon smiled in understanding. "Lie your guts out, my man. Here's the story, and learn it by heart: I'm Krista's brother, and you're my brother-in-law. We're just ordinary people leaving because—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Andy said. "So… in this scenario, Krista and I are _married_?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Andy saw the tip of Krista's ears get red with self-conscious shyness, but he smiled broadly, "I like it."

"I knew ya would," Brandon smiled back, to Krista's mortification. "Anyway, we're leaving Arendelle because we've finally managed to escape from your darling brother's eternal winter, not that he's actually your brother in this story, he's just some king… anyway…and we barely managed to get this dingy ship. We're headed to—"

The boat shook as a heavy weight landed on it, making the already hazardous-looking planks groan under the new body. The trio swiveled around just in time to see Helena's brutish-looking sister land on their boat with a what he was positive was a feline-like smile on her face. Two other thugs landed beside her, having swung down from their much larger, much more intimidating-looking ship. _Doom Desire_, was pained on the side. Krista tried to not make a face. _Tacky_.

"Well, well, what have we here?" She said, alarmingly sounding a lot like Astrid's fake-sweet voice. "I hope I'm not interrupting your little chat!"

"Cristina, we—"

Before Brandon could even breathe again, one of her gorilla-like men karate-chopped him on the neck, making the poor guy drop to his knees with a cry of pain. "You will refer to the lady as _Admiral Westergard_, little runt."

Andy's features transformed into a scowl before he could even arrange them into literally anything else. "That was uncalled for, you ridiculous man-bear—"

Well, so much for hiding his feelings and following the fake story. His dislike for Cristina was immediate, probably stemming from the sole fact that she was related to Helena. The only thing he needed was a sign on his head saying "_**I'm the prince of Arendelle, I'm about to ruin your queen's life, arrest me!**_"

"He doesn't mean it," Krista cut in sharply as the brute stepped forward again, probably meaning to karate-chop Andy's self as well. "Please, Admiral Westergard, forgive my foolish husband."

Cristina raised a finely sculpted eyebrow, "Husband, eh?"

The Southern princess made a small gesture, and her minion stepped back in line. If she didn't resemble a shark so much, she'd actually be pretty, Andy thought. Too bad her every move could easily be interpreted as hostile. Everything about her screamed dominance, from her confident stance to the tight lines on her forehead. Strangely enough, she seemed to catch an interest in Krista's soft-spoken voice and submissiveness. Props to her, for acting so well.

Andy would've liked nothing more than to push them all overboard.

* * *

**KRISTA**

Krista wanted to help Brandon to his feet right after beating the smirk out of Cristina Westergard's face, but sadly she could do neither.

She knew the type of person they were dealing with. She'd encountered a handful of ice harvesters with that god complex that this woman obviously carried as well, only that those men's worked on the treacherous ice, not the sea. Still, Krista had a pretty good idea of how to handle the situation and efficiently defuse it—if only Andy would cooperate!

Her hot-headed prince had immediately lashed out when Cristina's man hit Brandon, which was the right thing to do, just _not _what needed to be done at that moment. Andy had done nothing more than add timber to the already burning-inferno of tension that they were in. As much as it absolutely pained her, she had to let Cristina believe that she was in absolute control of the situation and that they were only peaceful peasant at the wrong place at the wrong time. It was infuriating, but Krista managed to control herself better than Andy.

She adverted her eyes from the princess'—er, Admiral's—blue stare. Which was good, another show of submission. "May I ask why we're being stopped for questioning, Admiral?"

Krista could practically feel Andy's furious thoughts fluttering around them like butterflies, and she ignored them as best as she could. She felt the prince tense up next to her as he said, "If you'd be so kind as to tell us."

It sounded forced, and openly spiteful, but Krista sort of appreciated his effort at politeness. Brandon slowly stood up again, rubbing his neck where an angry red mark was forming. The look on his face was full of resentment.

Cristina ignored them both, "Search this shoebox." She ordered.

"Aye, aye, Admiral Westergard, ma'am," both buffoons mumbled.

Up close and personal, Krista could actually see a mix of every Southern Isles princess she'd met on Cristina's appearance. Her eyes were obviously Astrid's, the slope of her nose just like Helena's, the arch of her eyebrows was unmistakably Sophia's—it was kind of disturbing, actually. They all carried around pieces of each other on their features and their mannerisms.

Cristina then casually prowled around the tiny front of their boat, scuffing her weather-worn boots against the floor. "Tell me, what are your names?"

"Agdar and Idun Winter," Andy said immediately. Then, as an afterthought, he added, "Admiral Westergard, ma'am."

Krista almost let the 'awwh,' sound escape her lips, but luckily she held it back. Those were the names of Andy's late parents, the king and queen of Arendelle before the sea incident. 'Winters' was obviously a reference to their one and only talking snowman friend. Andy had said it without hesitation, and so naturally, that Cristina seemed to believe it… for now.

"I'm Brandon. I'm her brother," his voice sounded a little hoarse, but no major damage seemed to have been done. His lie was a little weaker than Andy's, but it was enough to not raise any questions.

"And tell me, friends. Why are you all leaving the lovely Arendelle in such a hurry?" Cristina continued in her cool, casual tone. It wasn't an outright interrogation, but it still felt like every question was meant to rat them out.

The two goons came out of the little room, shaking their heads. Cristina acknowledged them with the slightest nod of her head and gestured at their little trio to answer.

Krista almost let her neutral expression slip from her face. They hadn't planned _that _far ahead. In a surprising turn of events, Andy took the question in stride, still trying his hardest to be polite. "We're headed for the Southern Isles, Admiral."

The iceharvester wanted to stop on Andy's foot with all of her might for so-royally screwing this up, but she couldn't. _What's wrong with him? Why isn't he lying_?, she thought. Brandon, too, seemed stunned at Andy's honesty. _He could have said anywhere else but the real thing! Why, Andy?_

Cristina's eyes narrowed into slits, "Are you lying to me?"

"No, ma'am," Andy said.

"So then are you aware that we're flying Southern Islands flags? That I'm the admiral on their navy?"

Andy shrugged innocently, a child-like look of awe on his face. Okay, he was _definitely _stepping his acting game up. "We've never been. We're all from Arendelle, see, born and raised. We figured we'd try our luck on the isles, with the upcoming wedding and all! Prosperity is sure to come to the islands with the union. My wife and I—we wanted to go, y'know, just to say we've been—and Brandon's family, so he came along… ma'am."

"Here," Andy said after a tense moment of silence. He pulled out a paper from his pocket, "It's the map of the route we're taking to the Isles, if you want to take a look—"

Cristina waved her hand in dismissal, her jaw tight. "I don't believe you're going to the Isles to simply say 'been there, done that.' _Tell me the truth_!" She yelled the last part, finally betraying her cool exterior to show that of a petulant child demanding something.

Andy let a confused look settle on his face, like he truly did not understand. "B-but we are, Madame Admiral, sir! As you can see we didn't bring any possessions, or nothin'. We're just trying our luck in your country, honest to gods!"

The two men stood behind Cristina, their lips pulled back in a snarl. Cristina herself looked both confused and upset. "You're a redhead. You fit the profile I was given… this in unacceptable!"

The blonde was sure the Admiral had _not _meant to say that out loud, but she was what Krista had pinned her up to be: all talk and shows of force, but no actual wit to properly use it. She didn't have a filter to stop her words and consider the consequences of what she was blatantly saying— she didn't have the mind of manipulation her other sisters had.

"You're lying to me. You're going to Corona."

Krista felt her heart stop.

_Someone _warned her about _Prince Anders_ leaving Arendelle. And that same _someone _asked to stop him.

_Astrid_.

Krista quickly caught the bluff—Cristina wasn't certain. And, thank the gods above, Andy noticed it too. He continued with his charade. "Huh? Corona? Why on earth would we go there? We don't even know how to _get _there. My map—"

Cristina ignored him, like the three of them weren't there anymore. She turned her back and spoke loudly to her two henchmen, "Astrid wanted her godsdamned leverage with the king by capturing the brother, and yet, no big Arendelle ship has passed by! Do you think that Elliott king lied to her? About sending the brother away?"

"I dunno, Admiral, but we've stopped every big traveling ship. We only stopped this one 'cause of the redhead at the front, but this is a married man…"

While they were distracted, Brandon and Krista turned to Andy and gave him huge smiles. They'd done it! Cristina believed them. And most surprisingly of all, it was Andy who had managed to control every one of his emotions to deliver a perfect performance of deceit. Krista was about to whisper something to him when suddenly Cristina's little meeting abruptly came to a stop.

"This is frustrating! We're leaving." She said loudly.

The Admiral grabbed on to one of the ropes she'd used to swing to their boat in the first place, ready to swing back. She looked expectantly at her goons, one of those terrible eyebrows raised, "What are you waiting for?"

"Ma'am?"

"Dispose of them. We don't need poor scum migrating to the Isles."

"W-wait!" Brandon cried, "What?"

"You heard me," her eyes were even colder than Astrid's. "You are not welcome to my home."

Before anyone else could react, Andy ran inside the little cabin, fast as a bunny. "What the hell? Catch him!" Cristina's fury was clear on her face, like _how dare he not die like I want him to?_

Krista wanted to scream as the two savages dashed after her very brave but very stupid boyfriend… boyfriend? Friend? Andy. _Her _Andy.

She tried to steel her nerves. Andy wouldn't just _do _that for no reason. There had to be something, a weapon? Brandon tapped her so lightly on the arm she almost didn't notice. She turned to look at him, her eyebrows arched in worry, and he simply winked and made a show of grabbing on to the railing _real _tight, muscles in his hand obvious and forceful. She didn't know what he was getting at, but she mimicked his action, gripping the railing of their boat as for dear life.

Then, while they still were not the center of attention, Brandon slyly tied a thick rope around both their ankles. He worked quickly and efficiently, as well as silently. She followed the line of the rope to its source: the heavy anchor of their boat. Her hands tightened around the rail.

She almost let go when the minions dragged Andy out, kicking and protesting, from the cabin. He managed to kick one of them on the shin, which earned him a punch to the jaw. The punch, however, didn't make him let go of the stuffed bag between his hands.

"What's that?" Cristina said.

Krista wanted to scream again—but with joy. _Elliott's North Wind_!

She gripped the railing extra tight and prayed to any god that would listen. Discreetly, she saw how Andy grounded his feet, preparing for what was to come.

"It's just a bag," one of the men said, "It weighs nothing. Probably empty." Then he drew his sword and both of them let go of Andy's arms, "I'll make it quick, Admiral."

Cristina suddenly got a wild look in her eyes. "_Probably _empty? You idiots, why didn't you open—"

"_Open it_?" Andy's grin was as feral as Cristina's had been at the beginning, and he unleashed the North Wind form its simple cage.

* * *

Krista had slid down mountain slopes, many times, in many terrains, with varying levels of speed.

Those were _a gently breeze _compared to the brutality of the North Wind's force.

Grabbing on to the railing had been a blessing in disguise—otherwise she may have ended up like Goon 1# and Goon2#, who took the worst of the blast. She tried to block out the memory of their _skin _getting peeled back from the wind's scream, their eye sockets popping out and their hair getting ripped quite literally from their greasy scalps.

At one point, the wind was so strong and they were going so ridiculously fast that her feet left the ground—only years of ice harvesting that gave her strong arms saved her from not releasing the railing. That, and the anchor tied to her ankle helped.

No wonder Pabbie had been so adamant about not aiming that thing directly at people. Sadly, by stroke of luck, Cristina had let go of the rope and plummeted to the water, thus avoiding to become a pancake against the hull of her own ship that had been beside theirs.

_Speaking of her ship_, on the brief look Krista got before they sped off at maniac speed, the insane bag of wind had actually managed to punch a hole on that very polished wood! _That_'s how strong it was. Two deaths and the Admiral's ship from the Southern Isles armada practically sunk. It would be impossible to give chase in that state, and Krista doubted Cristina would recover anytime soon. They were safe.

What felt like five minutes of wind-voyaging passed until it started to slow down, and then, they came to a complete stop.

Andy's eyes were screwed shut tight—all of them had been, there wasn't anything to see but the blur of the gray ocean as they passed. He'd closed the bag. It looked significantly less fat, but it still had some juice in it—enough for the trip back, smart thinking.

Krista pried her hands away from the railing—the shape of them was probably permanently imprinted on the wood, as well as her nails'. She could already feel the rope burn on her ankle from the anchor's knot—she'd never welcomed a pain more gladly. The mark had played a big role in ensuring her safety, so she was completely fine with it.

The magic form the North Wind had probably protected Andy, because he'd been like a statue—the wind didn't blow him back.

A giddy laugh escaped her throat when she saw her two companion's faces. Both of them had the world's worst case of _windblown _hair—she probably didn't look much better. They were in silence, their crappy but resilient boat bobbing against the water, maintaining the sense of easy calm that came over them after the day's rush of adrenaline. Finally, Andy smiled softly. "We made it to the viper's nest, folks."

They were still a few minute's away form the actual rocky shore, but Krista saw it: The first isle, one of seven, very unlike Arendelle but it was _there_.

Krista shivered, "Yeah, we did. Godsdamn we're alive."

"Man," Brandon said. "I never gave you a map for the Isles or anything. What _were _you going to show that crazy woman?"

Andy's smile was beyond pleased with himself as he pulled out the crumpled up piece of paper, "It's her own threatening message that she sent us with that bird. If only she'd looked closer—"

"Oh my gods," Krista knew he didn't deserve it after saving their asses, but she still gave him a light smack on the shoulder, "That was insanely risky, you slug!"

The prince laughed, delighted with their faces of disbelief. "Slug?"

She kissed him on the cheek, "I'm just glad it worked out."

Andy's eyes were impossible greener than the ocean below them, "Me too. You know, you were pretty amazing yourself—"

"Ah, yes, yes, we were all amazing, but I still took a chop to the neck," Brandon said, gesturing at the bruise on his neck. He grinned at them, "No worries though, I'm a big boy. Anway! I don't mean to be rude, but we're on a mission, people. Let's get to it!"

"Right," Krista said. "What's the first stop?"

Andy pointed with his thumb at the island before them, "Well, Maddy said…We gotta find, uh… princess _numero tres_. Cecile. She'll help us."

The exhausted trio sighed at the same time as they admired the impressive view.

A castle made of elegant black rock loomed before them.

* * *

**ELLIOTT**

The alarms didn't stop ringing in Elliott's head until Astrid made it abundantly clear that she hadn't called them to accuse them of plotting against her—which surprisingly didn't do all that much to put his mind at ease.

All his thoughts revolved around Andy. Facing Cristina Westergard, and from Helena's vivid descriptions, she was one of the _worst_. Elliott had known it was still a huge risk sending his brother to the _home _of the thirteen women, but he was somehow more okay with _that _idea than the possibility of facing one of them out in the sea. At least, according to Helena and Maddy, there were friendly faces on the island. At least a batch of these princesses had to be good.

Astrid, unsurprisingly, wanted to talk about the wedding. They were outdoors, at least. It was kind of cloudy, so the sun wasn't unbearable and an easy breeze eliminated any unpleasant heatwave that could happen. Elliott's mind was kind of imploding, but at least hid body managed to relax, which was good—he didn't want to loose control of his magic again.

"…and I think the dessert table over there. Hm. What do you think, Helen?" Astrid mused, almost to herself. A scrawny man she brought with her followed after, making hasty scribbles on a sheet of paper at the queen's every whim and indication. Maddy pretty much served the same purpose, only that she seemed to be making mental notes.

"It's _Helena_," the princess corrected, irritation gnawing at the corner of her fake smile. Elliott almost smirked at the expression. "It sounds completely different when you omit the 'a'."

Astrid nodded absentmindedly, like a mother does when her child is babbling about unimportant things. Actually… wasn't Astrid _kind of _Helena's mother figure? He knew the Southern Isles King went to an early grave, and he wasn't actually sure Helena met her father. Did she even _get _to meet her own mother? He felt a pang of something, maybe sympathy.

"You know I'm joking, of course I know your name," Astrid murmured. She raised her sky-blue eyes to glare at her sister, "Did you think otherwise?"

Helena didn't look back, instead her eyes were intently fixed on a freshly-cut hedge shaped like an animal. After the 'eternal winter' most summer plants had died under the sheet of ice, so these were brand new. _Gifts_, as Astrid called them, from the Southern Isles. "I'm aware of your _jokes_."

"Get me a harp player at four," Astrid told the note-taking man. "And the entertainers at quarter past eleven."

"Glad you're asking for my input," Helena grumbled, still refusing to look at either of her sisters. Elliott shifted to stand closer to her, pretending he didn't see the tightness in her jaw and the glassiness of her eyes. He couldn't exactly relate to the feeling of older siblings making decisions and pushing you around, but he could clearly see how much it hurt her even if she did try to hide it with dry sarcasm.

Astrid rolled her eyes and shared one of those secret sister-y looks with Maddy. "Sometimes I forget she's only eighteen. Still a child."

Helena scoffed, finally forcing her gaze away from the plant, "I'm _not _a child."

"Then why are you being so difficult?" Astrid said. "Perhaps we should also hire a babysitter while we're at it. Babysitter at nine o'clock." The man jotted down something on his paper. "Don't write that down, you numbnut!" she snapped.

He crossed it out vigorously, mumbling apologies. Astrid folded her hands in front of her, once again, red dress. "I'm _trying _to help you, Helena. Don't you forget it."

Before Helena could reply, a very harried-looking Kai fast-walked towards them, bowing his head as he did, "Your majesties."

"Kai," Elliott nodded, glad for the interruption.

"Um," the butler looked uncomfortable as he looked between Elliott and the southern Queen. "Um."

"What is it?"

"There's… um. There's a woman at the gates. We don't know what… we weren't expecting… Ah." Elliott shoulders tensed. Kai was always so formal, rarely at a loss for words. This must be important. "She's saying she's—"

The sloshy sound of footsteps made them all look up at an angry figure making her way towards them. She was wrapped in a blanket, her stringy blonde hair still wet from… from what? It hadn't rained, and yet it looked like the woman had taken a bath without taking her clothes off.

"We insisted she get dry first," Kai said hurriedly, "But she's so stubborn! And not to mention rude! King Elliott—"

Two guards were running after her, but Elliott raised a hand for them to stop. The woman seemed unhinged more than threatening, and if she tried anything, he could easily overpower her. Besides, the hateful look was directed exclusively at Astrid—this he had to see.

"Shut up! Shut up!" she barked, her blue eyes furious as they landed on Astrid's passive form. "You. This is all your fault!"

"Admiral Cristina," Astrid's tone didn't betray any of her emotions—her face was a mask of calm. "I beg you to calm down, sister. Control yourself."

Elliott's face muscles twitched for a second as he tried to hide his shock. Cristina was _here _and empty-handed. _Thank the gods_. Somehow, miraculously, Andy hadn't run into her.

"Do _not _tell me to calm down after the bullshit I just went through!" she screamed. Out of the corner of his eye, Elliott saw Helena moving, discreetly moving to stand behind him. Cristina continued on with her tirade. "The _Doom's Desire _just sank, Astrid! It fucking sank!"

For the first time Astrid's face showed concern, and then mild annoyance. "How?"

"Some peasant had a _hurricane_ in a bag, I shit you not. It killed Bron and Mason! It was some sort of sorcery! And they're headed to the isles, which are undefended because all my armada is—"

"That's enough," Astrid tone was so sharp that it stopped Cristina mid-rant. It felt like the queen's eyes _alone _could sink a thousand ships. She spoke to Elliott, "Forgive her, King Elliott. My _idiot _sister is obviously suffering heatstroke. Or maybe the _Doom Desire _shipwrecked here on her way to the wedding, hm?"

They hadn't said anything, but it was like Astrid and Cristina had a psychic conversation. Although the Admiral still looked furious, her mouth was set in a firm, silent line. _She'd said too much_. But Elliott leapt to the chance.

"Why's your kingdom undefended, Queen Astrid? Where are your ships?" He said.

For a second, Elliott thought she would push on with the lie that he already knew. But he saw slight change in her face. This woman's brain seemed to work and calculate the most favorable outcome almost immediately. She knew she was caught. "It's undefended because they're all stationed outside your fjord," she said boldly. "I do not trust you as far as I can throw you. It's a safety net."

"You did not ask for permission on this _safety net_," Elliott said coldly, and just for dramatic effect, he let the floor of the courtyard ice over with the thinnest sheet of ice possible, spreading form his feet and to every corner. Just to show that, hey, he was the one in control here. "It makes me question your promises."

"Oh. My promises are very real, as are my threats," she had a tight smile on her thin lips. "I admit it. I have forces behind your fjord in case things go badly—which, for both our sakes', let's hope they don't. And before this _idiot _blurts it out anyway-" she directed a brief glare at the fuming Cristina, "I asked my admiral to capture your brother if possible, for leverage in case _you _got difficult. Alas, it's obvious she failed."

Elliott said nothing, both mad and amazed that she was just so blatant about everything. This woman was more dangerous than he'd thought—and he's pinned her as _plenty _dangerous already. Denying her schemes would've been understandable—but _openly admitting to them_? The woman feared nothing.

"Since I'm coming clean, and being open about this nasty business, I'll just assume the same from you," she continued, "You don't happen to know anything about this _peasant_ with _hurricanes _in bags, would you?"

Elliott released the breath he'd been holding into an incredulous laugh, "Perhaps your admiral really _is _suffering from heatstroke."

Inside, he was singing, over and over _The North Wind worked, it saved them, my magic saved them from Cristina, oh gods!_

The corner of Astrid's mouth twitched involuntarily, probably trying to hide her annoyance. She did not believe him. "Perhaps."

A tense silence stretched until Maddy clapped her hands together, "Well, since Cristina's here early, let's get you into some warm clothes, yes?"

"Yes, that would be good," Astrid said. She smiled coldly at her three sisters, holding each of their gazes for longer than necessary, keeping Helena's the longest. "Let's have a little _chat _and catch up, shall we?"

After they left, Kai audibly gulped beside him. "I'm terrified of that woman, your majesty."

"Me too, Kai. Me too."

_Please, Andy. Don't fail._

* * *

**guess who didn't spellcheck again? this gal! :^). sorry. i just. i wanted to get the chapter up as soon as possible, so plsss excuse any mistakes. and i do plan to finish this story even if it's the death of me, i need to give this closure and very soon!**

**i hope you liked it, and feedback is honestly what keeps this fic going, so if you wanna say anything, please do, it really does help.**

**++A small fullmetal alchemist reference thrown in there, bc why not :^) **

**+There's an 'official' Disney book called 'A Frozen Heart,' told from Hans' point of view, so that's what I'll be kinda using to describe the Southern Isles. So it's not all made up by me, it has some elements of what some people can consider 'canon'**

**aaaaas always, thank you for reading!**


	20. Chapter 19

**ANDY**

Andy had never left Arendelle before—so he _did _have a bit if a cultural shock when he set foot on the dark shore of the Southern Isles, of all places. And it _was _a dark shore. The sand didn't look soft, more like pulverized granite and it was a rich, dark color with an earthy smell. Andy was not a fan.

"I can't believe we did not die on the way," the prince said casually while Brandon tried to anchor their little boat as close to land as he could. "It's been a successful day."

"Cristina was actually _this_ close to killing us," Krista said, sounding quite offended. "And here I thought Helena was over exaggerating about her sisters being awful."

"And we're about to meet the rest of 'em," Andy said cheerfully. "We're looking for the one called 'Cecile' to be precise. Maddy said she can somehow prove Astrid killed their mother."

Brandon rubbed at his brow with the back of his hand, looking thoughtful. "I thought you said that one was locked up… with mental issues or somethin'."

"She is. Helena told me she had some sort of fever as a child and never recovered—it cooked up her brain or something… I don't know." Andy stopped talking abruptly, uncomfortable that he knew such an intimate thing about Helena's family. A thing she'd _told _him in secrecy when they'd been 'in love'. Oh, that felt like a thousand years ago, talking about sandwiches and weddings and—_ugh_.

"We should get going and find the castle then," Brandon said. "I bet this thing she's hiding ain't gonna be all that easy to steal."

"That's why we brought you, klepto-man," Krista grinned at him.

Brandon smiled back sheepishly. "Shucks, you. I promised to help, didn't I?"

"For a reward," Krista reminded him. "Not exactly form the goodness of your heart."

"Same difference," Brandon shrugged and finally got off the boat, joining them on the shore after trudging along the water to get there. "Plus- get this- I bet none of you noticed… I got a myself a little extra somethin' for our trouble with that blonde witch."

From gods-know-where Brandon pulled out a gold coin, flipping it expertly between his fingers as if he'd been doing it since birth. "Check it!"

"What- you stole that? From _Cristina_?" Andy said the name like one would say _Satan_.

"Yup! Just a little souvenir for almost getting my neck chopped," Brandon's wolfish grin was contagious. The smallest of victories, considering what they'd been through, but a victory no less. "When that brute hit me and I fell? No one was lookin', so I scopped this up. Easy-peasy."

He tossed it high above their heads, the sun's light got caught on it and as the shiny metal spun in the air and it blinded Andy for a second. Krista caught it and they crowded around to look at the small coin. It looked a bit dented, with a worn letter '_**W **_' smack in the middle, and when Krista turned it over, there was a '_**C**_ '. The design was too intricate to be the currency here, so the prince assumed it was special in some way. Andy was maliciously glad Brandon had stolen some sort of family heirloom or lucky charm.

Their brilliant thief took the coin back and slipped it back to where it came from, dismissing the matter with another grin. "I sure hope nobody steals the boat. We'd be in a pickle when trying to get outta here."

"If someone steals it, maybe it's a blessing in disguise," Andy smiled, "I don't think this thing's gonna handle another dose of magical North Wind very well." It earned him a hoot of laughter from Brandon and an elbow to his side from certain blonde girl—but it had to be said. The boat had saved their skins but who knew if it could handle the trip back.

They walked in silence towards the houses closest to the strip of beach—fishermen homes, probably. They didn't look too shabby, actually. It seemed even the middle class was well-off in the Southern Isles. They made it through a busy fishing market right around the corner from the houses—tropical fish, all shapes and seizes—all sorts of smells, too. Andy's nose wouldn't stop wrinkling at the sharp tang of sea in the air.

He felt strangely apprehensive—like a bunch of guards were going to jump out suddenly and arrest them all. But they wouldn't—nobody knew him here. Prince Anders of Arendelle was just like anyone else in the bustling fish market—just another face in the crowd. It felt kind of nice.

"Big scary castle's that-a-way," Brandon murmured as the throngs of people thinned out by the edge of the stands. "It's made of that black… rock we've been seein' a lot of, hm?"

'Black rock' was a good name for the elegant material that seemed to plague the island. Helena had talked to him about that at Elliott's coronation too—that rock was their main source of income, the statues made of that stuff were rather popular. Now that he saw it in person he thought it looked intimidating, but every once in a while he caught the people of the market glancing up at the formidable castle atop the hill and he could tell they loved the concept… he didn't, but to each their own.

To Andy the rock made the seven islands look like inhospitable environment, but he had to admit that the castle looked incredibly powerful thanks to the black rock. "_It's like an ugly prison_," Helena had described her home to him in extensive detail back when she'd fooled him. "_And my sister, Astrid, she's the jailer_."

"Are you okay?" Krista said quietly beside him, with Brandon oblivious to it.

"Y-Yeah. Why?" he was a bit startled. He hadn't realized how wide the streets had become and how foreboding the houses and shops had started to look. So unlike Arendelle.

"You keep frowning and grinding your teeth a little bit," she said.

"Ugh. I was just thinking about Helena."

Krista raised an eyebrow, as if not quite sure if he meant in a good way. He did not.

He tried to explain, getting exasperated at himself. "I mean—about stuff she told me. The black rock, her family… it's so weird knowing these things about someone you don't even like."

"You liked her once."

"I don't—"

"No, Andy, it's okay to say it. You did love her, for a time. Your feelings, new and old, are valid. Stop keeping everything in, saying things are fine when they're not, or you'll explode like a piñata. I mean it—not only with the Helena situation, I mean with Elliott, too… even with me."

Andy felt like he'd been punched in the gut. "I don't even know what a piñata is."

She smiled, thin-lipped and a little sad. "There you go again. Evasive."

"I know you're right. I do, I just… I'll deal with this. In my own time. With my own bandages… lick me own wounds…"

"Okay then… but if you need someone, by all means," she gestured at herself. "I'm here. Don't forget that."

"I won't. And thank you." Why have a fire crystal when Krista was just as good at warming his heart?

Before he could do something idiotic, like voicing _that _thought out loud, Brandon cleared his throat. "I don't mean to interrupt you guys' bonding session, but we've got a little problem. How are we going to get in?"

"Oh." Andy followed Brandon's worried line of sight to the newest problem at hand— a long line of people stood outside the castle's thick wrought iron gates, with guards in black masks giving those people a shake down every time they passed.

"Why do the guards look like that?" Krista murmured to no one in particular. They wore helmets with pointy ends that had an attached cloth that covered their whole face—including their eyes, maybe they were see-through up close? Not only that, but they were all armed.

As the trio stood there with their mouths agape, one of the terrifying-looking guards approached them. "What is your business?"

The voice was more growl than question, but Andy answered more or less with a carefully worded "Ah?"

"Do you have an appointment," the man said, more forceful than before if it was even possible. He hadn't even bothered to raise his voice at the end to make it clear that he was asking. Something about the guy was… odd, to say the very _least_. His presence alone charged Andy's nerves with apprehension.

"You're scaring those kids, F."

The four of them spun around to face another man, wearing a guard uniform, yes, but he didn't look scary like the ones posted at the gates did. He actually looked _human_. Nothing hid his face from sight, and Andy felt much more comfortable with his bearded jaw and light blue eyes rather than the void-like mask.

On the left side of his chest the man had a lion that also served to clasp the gold cloak around his shoulders. If Andy had to guess, he'd say the newcomer was the captain of the guard, because of the different uniform and the confident way in which he carried himself.

"They are loitering." Black-mask rumbled, or 'F', because that's what the bearded stranger had called him… it?

"Leave them to me."

Andy half expected the faceless man to argue, or at the very least try to cause them bodily harm, but all he did was nod curtly. "Yes, Captain Lance."

Needless to say Mr. F gave Andy the creeps, and the feeling lingered even after he was good and gone.

"Oh, wow, he was somethin' else," Brandon said, licking his lips nervously once F was out of sight.

"You must be new here if you don't know about them," the man said grimly, "Rowena's newest pets."

Andy hated himself for remembering, but yet again Helena's family-tree pointers stuck to him. "Rowena? The ninth sister, right?"

Captain Lance's eyes steeled a little. "_Ninth sister_, huh? That's an awful casual way to refer to our princess, who happens to be the ninth daughter."

"You referred to her as Rowena," Krista retorted before Andy could be filled with dread. "Awful casual way to refer to _your _princess."

The man could have been angry at the way Krista threw his words back at him, but instead he looked surprised with both eyebrows raised. "I don't think we've met."

The prince barely controlled the sudden urge to roll his eyes. The man seemed to have taken an immediate liking to Krista, and he did not appreciate the way those blue eyes were raking her body from head to toe.

"It's because we have indeed not met," Krista said dryly.

At this point Andy thought Krista was pushing it, but the guy grinned wide and bowed his head. "Captain of the guard, Lance Westergard."

Andy almost choked on absolutely nothing at all- maybe his own saliva. To be fair, Krista and Brandon looked just as shocked. Before he could properly think about the contents of his next sentence, the words he was thinking spilled out without his permission. "Helena has a _brother_?"

He thought he'd stepped over the line what with the way the guy glared at him, but another glance at Krista made the guy reel back his annoyance at Andy. "No, no. I'm married to Lady Olivia; I just took her name because around these parts being a _Westergard _is more respectable than being a _Crawley_."

Oh. Andy conjured up Helena's family tree that now seemed to be seared into his mind… Olivia was the fifth, and uh, she had a twin…. Emilia? Yeah, probably Emilia.

"Oh, okay, that makes more sense."

Captain Lance shifted his weight from one leg to the other and surveyed the odd trio with that blue gaze of his. "What is your business?"

Unfortunately, they hadn't planned this far ahead with all their sightseeing and deep talks about Andy's internal troubles. Andy had saved the day last, so Brandon just jumped at the chance because another second of hesitation would get this guy suspicious.

"We joined the great Admiral Cristina on her Arendelle mission," Brandon said quickly. "She sent us here to the Isles for some confidential information located inside the castle."

Andy wanted to slap his own forehead at Brandon's expense. His friend had just provided the lamest cover story even an infant could punch holes through. And Captain Lance was _just _that infant. He suddenly didn't look all that friendly.

"So you _joined _the Admiral, which implies you weren't a part of the crew from the start," the carnage began. "You are not in uniform, and she _'sent you back_' without an explanation? I'm no fool; you kids had never set eyes on this castle or its people before, and the casual way in which you refer to the royal family is too personal for my liking."

Lance leered at them, all Nice-Guy act gone, but then a miracle happened.

"Yes, Captain, we _joined _the Admiral behind the Arendelle fjord. We're the team that's called when things go wrong." Brandon rose to his full height which wasn't very impressive at all, but it gave him the confidence boost that he needed. "We don't _live _in the Isles. We're too elite; we train off the Corona coast at a secure location and heed the call when we're needed. We work personally and directly under Lady Cristina, we don't answer to the likes of _you_!" spittle flew out of Brandon's mouth, adding to the dramatic effect he was luckily achieving. Andy bit down on his lower lip to stop himself from doubling over in laughter.

"I bet you didn't even know Cristina's ship, the _Doom Desire_, sank to the bottom of the ocean! We're not dressed to your liking because we survived a shipwreck, sir! Have some _respect_!"

Andy had never been gladder that they possessed this kind of approximate knowledge about this many things. Captain Lance looked stunned, and by the way Brandon's eyes blazed bronze, you'd think he believed his own bull story. It seemed some his words were too real and factual to dispute, but too wild to immediately accept. The man before them looked torn.

"And in case you don't believe us," Brandon said, one last deep breath making his chest rise with confidence, "I've got personal proof of the Admiral's trust in us."

And good old Brandon pulled out his newest treasure; the gold coin with Cristina's initials. He held it high above their heads so the curious crowd of onlookers that had gathered after his rant could see. Andy's chest almost convulsed with the irony; what Brandon was doing was a quite literal coin toss with their lives. Either everything he said was somehow miraculously correct and on point, or he just bought them a ticket to the Southern Isles' luxurious dungeons.

Andy prayed it was the former.

The captain's eyes widened. "The Last Gift!"

"The Last Gift!" Brandon repeated, having no idea what it meant.

Lance bowed his head, looking sheepish. "I-I had no idea. If her Ladyship would entrust you with the king's last gift to her, then you must be of utmost importance. I am sorry for raising false accusations."

So Helena's father had given Cristina a coin before he died—another thing to add to Andy's list of personal information that he'd rather not know about this wretched family.

"Hell yeah we're of utmost importance," Brandon was filled with nervous uncertainty, tinged with adrenaline. It clashed with his eyes which were crazed with excitement. "Take us to the queen!"

"The queen is currently in a diplomatic mission to Arendelle to free Princess Helena after she was wrongfully imprisoned," the man was kind enough not to call them out on their ignorance now. Andy scoffed at _wrongfully imprisoned_. "But I can show you to my wife's sister, Lady Emilia, whom she left in charge during her absence."

"Yes, that's what I meant," Brandon didn't miss a beat. "We know Queen Astrid and Princess Madeleine are currently at Arendelle, of course. I was just testing you."

To their relief, Emilia's husband spared them of further questioning. The sea of people and creepy guards parted before them when Lance gave the signal, and with a groan the gates were opened by the pull of a heavy chain.

Andy gulped down the apple-sized lump in his throat.

Into the viper's nest they went.

* * *

**MADDY**

Seeing Astrid _livid _was a rare and beautiful thing, and Maddy could not help but feed off the toxic vibes that radiated off the furious queen as she stormed around the room they'd locked themselves in after Cristina's grand entrance.

As the queen paced and raged on about gods-knew-what, Maddy took a moment to appreciate everyone's attitude towards the matter.

Cristina was wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe and laid out on a chaise longue chair, somehow looking both bored and vaguely pissed off while she picked at the split ends of her damp hair, occasionally sneering at a passing thought inside her wicked little mind.

Helena was sitting next to Maddy on a maroon sofa, broody and pouting like she always was. She wondered if the thirteenth princess was thinking about Andy's mission. Gods knew Maddy was, every waking second she expected Astrid to deliver a nightmarish smirk with something along the lines of "_I knew you were a little traitor_." But the moment hadn't come… _yet_. She dreaded every second until it inevitably happened—their queen knew _everything._

And finally, was Astrid, as previously noted—dressed again in the red gown with the embroidery of gold and the lace around the back, yelling at the three of them because of something only one of them did.

"…and then somehow, against _all _of you better judgment you decide to come torment me _here_, to tell me your silly little ship sunk, _right in front _of that insufferable king!" Astrid was getting out of breath with her ranting, but it just kept coming, in angry waves. It made the rotten part of Maddy's little heart sing with malice.

"Then again, your _better judgment _doesn't mean much of anything, now, does it? I _knew _I should've told you to make Johanna your first mate! At least she has some brains!" the queen lamented.

"Hey, hey, now, don't you be telling me who my first mate should be! And least of all that _bastard_!" Cristina loved to throw around that word when talking about the sisters that did not share the same mother as they. The king had acknowledged Johanna and Daria as his before he died, so they were as legal as any of them. Cristina just liked to feign dementia on the subject.

"Well that _bastard _has more sense on her pinky finger than you do in your whole body!" Astrid screamed. "Do you know how humiliating that was, back in the courtyard? Elliott must be having the laugh of his life right now—but mark my words, his laughing days are accounted for!" She shifted her attention to poor unsuspecting Helena, "He won't laugh when you walk down that aisle to become his wife. He won't be laughing then!" her face changed from hysterical to something uglier and more sinister. Even Cristina shrunk back on her chair. "Perhaps he'll laugh when you're with child and he's no use to us anymore and we kill him, that irony should be funny to him!"

"W-What?" Helena was the only one that dared speak after a long silence stretched.

"I've decided that once the marriage's been consummated and your position as queen is secured, you shall not be in need of a husband any longer," the scariest part was the ease in Astrid's voice, the normality on her face that moments before had been brewing up a storm, as if the prospect of killing that man calmed her. "At least not of _him_. I'll find you a more suitable match once the heir to Arendelle is in your belly."

"Do you have any idea how insane you sound right now?" Helena's jaw was set so hard Maddy almost expected to hear the sound of teeth cracking.

"I doubt I sound much different than you did when you planned to stab him in the back with a sword," Astrid spat back. "The inspiration had to come form _someone_."

Maddy saw the brief struggle in Helena's features before she ground out "I've come to regret what I tried to do… I wasn't… the cold wasn't letting me think straight! I was so sick and tired of my life with all of you I needed an out, even if it was through murder! I couldn't take any more of your abuse or anyone else's!"

Cristina barked a laugh, dripping cruelty. "Oh, stuff it, baby sister. You've always been a greedy little bitch and you don't get to use _it was cold _as an excuse for what you did!"

Helena struggled to her feet before Maddy's hand shot out and pulled her back down, a warning etched on her face. C-O-N-T-R-O-L. She was a fighter, Maddy acknowledged that; Helena had come fighting into this world, and it was also the way she lived in it.

"Don't stop her, Scar-face, let me see what she's made of! You want to punch me in the face so bad, don't you, little runt?" Cristina delighted them with another mad chuckle, amusing only herself. "You've wanted to for years, Helena, so go for it! Right on the nose! Do it! Do it! Punch me!"

"Enough. Don't encourage her." Astrid snapped. "Mocking is childish Admiral; it does not become you."

While Cristina imitated Astrid's sentence in a nasally voice, Maddy saw the way Helena's hands were tightly clenched into fists, the way they shook. It was true; the auburn-haired princess wanted nothing more than to punch her older sister in the face. Maddy would lie if she said she wasn't tempted in joining her.

She was pulled back to their tedious conversation when Cristina started to fuss and squirm, "Can't find it."

"What do you mean _can't find it_? You cannot seriously be saying you lost father's Last Gift!" if at all possible, Astrid looked even madder than before.

All thirteen sisters had a gold coin with their initials carefully etched on them, their father's _last gift_, given to them when Helena was born. It was custom-made and unique, perhaps the only true link they had to each other. It was almost like a symbol.

Cristina growled as she continued to pat down the fluffy bathrobe she was wearing, "Must've been in some pocket of my wet clothes."

"Or lost at sea," Helena said jauntily, and then added, in a lower voice, "As _you_ should have been."

The blonde's neck snapped up form her search, "I fucking dare you to say that again you miserable—"

A sharp glare from Astrid silenced her midsentence, but the murderous look on the Admiral's face promised a to-be-continued. Helena's green eyes shone back with just as much hatred.

"Anyway," Maddy clapped her hands together, weakly trying to dissipate some of the building tension. "Now that Elliott knows, what's the next step, sweet sister?"

Astrid sighed, letting some of the invisible weight fall from her shoulders. "We need to find out who those people that sunk Cristina's ship are. It can't be a coincidence that that happened the day Anders left this place."

A silent jerk of attention passed between Maddy and Helena, a sort of determination to protect those on the plan they were also involved in. Their faces privately spelled A-C-C-O-M-P-L-I-C-E.

"Tell me, again, what happened? From the top?" Astrid said.

Cristina started picking at the threads on the robe, looking ashamed for probably the first time in her life. "You told me to look out for a redhead. I did. I stopped a tiny boat, nothing special, I swear to you. Flyin' no flag. Three people on board, again, nothing remarkable about them. We talked. We fought. They pulled out a hurricane _that sunk the Doom's Desire-!_"

"I know you just used a big word, '_remarkable'_, but could you please try your best to be a little less vague? Fire up that brain of yours? What did they look like?" Astrid's condescending voice was sweet and infuriating all at once.

"Told you. Redhead, some blonde…" Cristina grunted. "And a guy with curly hair… I don't know! Details aren't important! What's important is what they did to me!"

The moment Maddy had dreaded since this meeting started was finally upon them. It was almost in slow motion, the way Astrid's face twisted into an ugly scowl, and one could almost see the interwork of her mind piecing together the information like a puzzle only she could solve. It reminded Maddy of the face their mother made a million years ago when the old queen figured out it had been Astrid who had scarred Maddy's face—controlled outrage.

"Was the blonde _a girl_? Stocky in build, pretty little thing?" Astrid's eyes were wild with understanding and she glanced at Helena and Maddy, "The one that was always trailing behind Anders! What was her name!"

When met with silence, Astrid took it in stride. "I saw her at the docks, the day we arrived, with that ice dragon! I've seen her hanging around the brothers… her name escaped me just now…"

"Um, I'm lost here," Cristina said. "Who now?"

"You're grasping at straws, now," Helena said, doing her best to flatten her expression into something Astrid couldn't dissect and destroy. "Cristina… didn't you say those people flat-out told you they were going to the Isles? Why would Anders and crew say such things? Why would they go there?"

It seemed to pick at the right doubts, because uncertainty started to cloud the queen's face. "Perhaps… they lied. And they were on their way to Corona after all…" suddenly Astrid's face lit up with another idea. "But _why _send his own brother in such a shabby boat, one meant to not attract attention, if their intentions were pure?"

"_Allegedly_. We don't know if it was the prince, or some random encounter," Maddy said gently. Astrid fixed her in place with those cold blue eyes. Lying to her sister always made her skin crawl with trepidation. She fought back the irrational urge to beg for Astrid's forgiveness and confess to her betrayal. "Let us not make assumptions."

Astrid paused with a thoughtful look on her face, she seemed to really sink into the chasm of her own mind for a good three minutes in which no one dared to talk. The only sound came from Cristina occasionally biting at her nails in disinterest to the whole ordeal. Maddy wasn't sure if Helena was even breathing as the seconds dragged on.

Finally, the queen nodded their dismissal. "I will send a bird to our contacts in Corona to confirm the prince's arrival. I will also send another bird, to Captain Lance, warning them of people matching Cristina's description. I shall act depending on Corona's answer. If the prince is not where he claims…"

Maddy jumped to her feet, trying not to look desperate. "My queen—"

"The fastest birds this worthless palace has!" were Astrid's final words, before she exited the room. Maddy's shoulders slumped in defeat.

She exchanged a significant look with Helena, who mirrored her own rising panic. It wasn't a matter of _if _Astrid found out—it was a matter of _when_. Once she had that information, it was inevitable that she _somehow _figured out the rest and hanged them both.

She forgot Cristina was still on the longue, watching them with a scowl. "You two are up to something."

She got up in one powerful leap and patted Helena's cheek lovingly, "And I'm going to find out _what_," Cristina said.

"Don't touch me!" Helena screamed, batting the older girl's hand away. Her outburst was only met with more of Cristina's cruel laughter.

The Admiral winked at them, the way an executioner would, "Don't skip town, kid. I'll be watching."

* * *

**KRISTA**

_No wonder Helena is a bad egg,_ Krista thought as they traveled around the endless maze that was the Southern Isles castle. The rock fortress wasn't a welcoming place in the slightest. Not only because of the dark walls and sharp reds that made up most of the decoration, but the air itself seemed to be charged with dangerous, hostile energy. If she closed her eyes she could easily imagine a younger Helena being restlessly tortured by her sisters in these very halls. The thought wasn't very nice.

Even the big oil paintings decorating the walls every few feet were intimidating. The brushstroke was aggressive and one could tell just by looking at it. The glowering faces of Westergard monarchs throughout history made Krista squirm in her shoes. A mustachioed painting of a man with piercing Helena-like eyes made her especially anxious—perhaps her _father_?

And yet the castle had beauty to it— the wild type, too far from just anyone's reach to fully see past its harshness. Regardless it was there, amidst the overwhelming negative energy, that the loveliness hid.

Krista felt like she aged a hundred years just by making the trip to the audience room or whatever it was—she didn't care to know the name. To her all rooms were just as grand and just as boring. The only difference was that this one had thirteen throne-like chairs arranged in a U shape, one for each sister.

Captain Lance stopped so abruptly the three of them crashed into him—Andy, Krista, and Brandon.

"Where's Princess Emilia?" he demanded. Then, glancing around, "And my wife?"

A lone figure sat on the center, what was probably Astrid's chair if Krista had to guess. Two of the creepy faceless guards stood on either side of the woman, immobile.

"I sent them away," the woman said, a sleepy sort of tilt to her voice, like she was in no hurry at all to get her words across. Her dark blue eyes matched her lazy tone, although they kind of looked like she had cataracts when the light hit them right. Krista shuddered.

Lance tensed, still standing in front of them as if to protect them. "Lady Rowena, I'm in no mood for your games. These kids need to see Emilia at once, it is urgent."

Krista felt Andy's nails dig into the soft skin of her wrist. "That's Rowena. Helena says she's the _worst _out of all of them." His lips barely moved when he whispered that for only her to hear.

"She said the same thing about Cristina," Krista breathed back, not daring to voice it any louder in fear that the weird woman would hear them. She wore a purple dress that seemed to shimmer, with sleeves long enough to hide her hands from view, and on a thin belt around her waist hung a strange array of colorful bottles… potions?

Rowena tapped her cheek with long dark nails, her curly black hair was the same shade as Sophia's had been. "They were fighting and giving me a headache. They are taking a nap, now. Both of them."

Lance cursed under his breath, "An involuntary nap, you mean! Another one of your sleeping potions!"

The woman's laugh was airy and slow, like she hadn't done it in eighty years. "Call it what you like, they won't be bickering near me for a few glorious hours. It is almost a public service, if you think about it."

"Get off that throne, your highness, it is not yours," Captain Lance said. Krista saw his right hand hovering over the hilt of the sword strapped to his leg. "I don't want to report this to our queen upon her return."

The two faceless guards stepped forward in unison, but Rowena clucked her tongue and they moved back immediately. "There, there, dears, no need to get upset. We were just leaving anyway." She practically glided down from the raised chair, her lapdogs not far behind. Krista was about to let out a sigh of relief when the strange woman stopped near them at the door, and gave a sniff. "Huh."

Lance was no longer trying to hide his irritation at the princess, "_What_?"

"Nay," she blinked her long lashes, with those milky eyes beneath, "I… sensed something. Probably nothing." She was staring straight at Andy but not really _seeing_ him. "Farewell."

Andy shuddered, "What was that all about? And why were the guards from before flanking her?"

Lance seemed to no longer care whether he told them too much or not. "She made those... those _things _in her lab! I despise them!"

"The guards?"

"Those aren't guards, they're demons! She named them from A to Z, like you met F back at the entrance. She expects me to train them, but I cannot train the soulless. Don't ask me _how_, but one of those darn potions enhanced normal men until they weren't normal anymore. _I loathe them_!" the man's temper finally got the best of him, making a vein pulse at his forehead. "And now she dares drug my wife, her own sister?"

He continued offering a colorful string of curse words, while Krista and her companions exchanged impressed glances mixed with the _oh crap_ emotion they'd been so familiar with lately. They hadn't asked for specifics on those guards, but since Lance had so kindly offered it, extra information didn't hurt.

"You know, we can find what we're looking for on our own," Brandon said, placing a careful hand on the man's shoulder. "You should go and be with your wife… we can manage."

Captain Lance seemed reluctant, "You should really talk to Emilia, queen Astrid left her in charge…"

"I insist! Be there for both of them. Gods know where Lady Rowena went, you know? Maybe she's headed to where they are to double the dosage!"

_That _seemed to ignite another spark of fury on the man's forehead vein. "Very well. I'll inform Emilia myself while you go about your business."

"Good," Brandon smiled and turned back to his friends.

"But you must need a guide, since it is your first visit… I'll tell Gibbs to meet you here. Do not leave until then." Even if he was preoccupied with his wife's well-being, his steely eyes rooted them in place with an untold threat.

"You got it. Now go! Olivia needs you!" Brandon shooed him.

The guy didn't need to be told twice. He dashed off and didn't look back.

The prince pulled his friends into a close circle of heads put together, "Let's go before this Gibbs characters shows up—"

Andy hadn't even finished conspiring against the guy when a Lance's loud self said from just outside: "Ah, Gibbs, impeccable timing! There's some people in the meeting chamber that require your assistance immediately. Admiral Cristina's people. Go see to them."

Needless to say, Brandon cursed quite loudly.

* * *

**++++ same old, same old: sorry for not updating****…**** like I said, I've been busy trying to get into law school****…****also I didn't have time to proof-read for mistakes (nothing new :^( )..so please excuse em if you do see any. I know I do when I reread this days later****…****ah.**

**+++"A Frozen Heart" is a book written in Hans' point of view, so some of the stuff here about the Southern Isles could be considered canon since someone at Disney gave the a-ok to publish that book, so we can pretend I'm not making **_**everything**_** up lol**

**++You may remember the servant 'Gibbs' from chapter 2 of this fanfic, you may not, but anywayyy he's back. So if you need a gentle reminder of who he is, do check the end of chapter 2!**

**\+ also, in before someone says it: i know some of the dialogue is... odd. modern. i know. i acknowledge this, but it's just how the characters speak in my mind and try as i might i can't change it. it sounds right, it flows right... it's their personality. so, on the note that this is a work of fiction, please don't point it out :] ty!**

**And lastly thank you for your reviews and messages, I do read all of them and they are an important pillar when it comes to building this story! without your feedback, reactions, all of your support, none of this would be possible****…**** so thank you, the readers who've stuck around, for your time and your kindness ****:] it truly is appreciated! I hope many, if not most of you, make it to the end of this story with me, because let me tell u: the end is near, as much as it saddens me to say it. Less tan 5 chapters left!**

**Aaaaas always, thank you for Reading!**


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